Yesterday seems like such a long time ago. Yesterday was the day Chris and I broke up, and got back together. Today it seems like nothing happened, there was no tension or changes between us, except maybe that Chris knew now to trust me more. I can't describe my relief at this. I am a little put out that Chris actually thought I'd do that to him, but everyone makes mistakes. Forgive and forget, right?

I went to the doctors this morning, just like my mom said, except Chris took me because my moms boss was shorthanded on staff and so she had to work, and I hated going to the doctors alone, even if it's just about sleepwalking. Doctors tend to give me the creeps. So Chris and I sat in the little room, waiting for the doctor to see us. When he did come, he grinned at us in a way that implied something rather inappropriate. I guess he hadn't checked his folder for why I was here, or else he wouldn't have looked at Chris and me as if we were there about a pregnancy! Pfft, doctors.

"So what can I do for you today?" He kept that same grin, so confident that he already knew the answer.

I cleared my throat and told him. His grin faltered and he glanced from Chris back to me. This was going to be a long appointment, I thought.

Actually, we were out of there in no time. Dr. Orrington – that was his name – just sent me on my way after telling me to lower my stress level, find new ways to relax and not worry so much.

"Well that was really helpful," I said to Chris sarcastically as we left. "Me, do yoga? I'd like to see that happen."

"It could help, you know," Chris tried to reason with me. "Besides, don't you get to wear those cute little tight outfits?"

I smacked him on the shoulder, grinning. "You don't have to, you know. Besides, it's yoga. Not my thing at all. I'd take gymnastics again over that any day."

"You took gymnastics?" he asked, eyes showing genuine interest and curiosity, like he wanted to know everything about me. This was good, meant he really was trying to get to know me better.

"Yeah. I used to love it, too. My specialties were the bars and the trampoline. I didn't mind floor routine either. Then we moved away from L.A. and I hated the new place. I wouldn't really have had all the much time for it anyway, with all the packing, unpacking, and packing up again."

"That's cool; I mean how you used to do it. Not that you stopped."

"I know what you mean," I laughed, hooking my arm in his. "So what are we gonna do with the rest of the day we have ahead of us?" I glanced at my watch; it was only around 12.

"Well…" Chris began, looking like he didn't really want to follow through with what he had started to say. "My mom asked me to invite you over for dinner tonight."

"Oh!" I looked at Chris carefully. "What's wrong? You don't want me to come?"

Chris stopped walking now and holding my hand in his he said, "That's not it. I really want you to but…"

I searched his eyes and realized what he was trying to tell me. "You're afraid your dad will show up?" I finished for him softly. He nodded, a hollow look in his eyes. "You can't let your dad run your life, Chris. I did that, and it just left me lonely and friendless. Until I came here and met you, that is." I stroked his cheek tenderly. "How about this: if you're dad doesn't show up by dinnertime, I'll come over. Okay?"

He nodded again, acquiescing to my proposal. "He shouldn't be back tonight. He said he was going someplace with his buddies. But if he comes home while you're there, you promise you'll leave right away? I don't want anything to happen to you."

And you don't want me to see him pummel you, I thought sadly. "Okay, Chris."

Chris cracked a smile and squeezed my hand. "My mom will be happy you're coming over. She said she met you at the paint store a few days ago?"

"Yeah! She helped me find all the paint and stuff. I knew she seemed familiar! It was the eyes. Those same beautiful eyes." Chris beamed at me, those very eyes sparkling with pleasure. "I saw her yesterday morning right before she left for work, too."

"Speaking of yesterday, I'd like to get my hands on Teddy," Chris fumed, remembering the lie his friend had told him.

"It could have been an honest mistake, Chris," I rationalized, even though I was mad at the bespectacled boy too. "Maybe we should talk to him first."

Teddy coincidently found his way to us. While Chris and I were walking down our street, during the walk from the doctor's, we saw him coming down Chris' driveway towards us. When we met up with him, I was surprised to see him with an ashamed look in place of his usual crazy grin.

"Hey guys," he greeted us in a somber voice. "Look, about yesterday – I'm really sorry. I was so sure of what I had seen, but I jumped the gun on that one. I was kinda far away to tell what was really happening…"

This new, serious Teddy kind of scared me. Chris still had a cool look on his face, so before he had a chance to make things worse between him and Teddy, I jumped in. "Hey, its okay Teddy. People make mistakes…Maybe next time you should just think things through before go and tell everyone. We've worked things out, anyway. No harm done."

Teddy looked enormously relieved, and let himself give a lopsided grin. "Whaddaya say, man?" he asked Chris. "Skin it?"

I looked over to my boyfriend, who had a kind of a strained look on his face. I nudged him discreetly and he glanced over to me. I tilted my head over towards Teddy very slightly, then back again and stared at Chris until he gave in. "Yeah, okay." Then they did their 'macho' whatchamacallit, and within seconds Teddy was back to grinning like an idiot, and said something crazy-fast like, "Igottagotomygirlfriend'shousenowBYE!" And then he was off.

My brain took a while to sort out what, exactly, Teddy had just said. And then it clicked. "Teddy has a girlfriend?" I blurted out, gaping. "Who could it be?"

Chris just laughed and said, "Must be someone just as crazy as him, or she wouldn't be able to keep up. I wonder how long she'll last."

"I guess it depends on how much she'll put up with," I answered, laughing with him. "Well I'm gonna go finish painting my room so I can sleep in it again! I'm so sick of the guest room you wouldn't believe it."

"Haha, that's cool, I'll go over to Gordie's, see what he's doing. I'll come get you around five, okay? If my dad's not home by then."

Smiling, I agreed. "Sounds good. See you later then." I leaned in to give him a kiss before I started up my driveway.

It took me about three hours to completely finish painting my room, including a break for lunch and watching a little TV when I got too bored. The flower stenciling had been hard and took a lot of time to line up correctly while standing on a ladder.

"God, it feels like I've been doing this forever," I grumbled tiredly as I stuck the paintbrush into a bucket of water. I stood back and examined my room. It looked perfect, just as I had imagined it. I then decided – after glancing at the clock and seeing it was 3:30, still had time before I had to get ready to go to Chris' – to move my furniture back into the room. The fresh paint was only at the top of the walls, so nothing would hit it and wreck it. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do it all myself, and the bed gave me a little trouble, but I managed. By the time that was finished, it was 4:15, and I decided to have a shower and get ready.

I wanted to look nice, but not appear slutty, so I put on just a little bit of makeup – mascara and light blush. I didn't look too different, just a little more classy then usual. Then I put on nice, casual clothes, and I was ready by the time Chris came for me a few minutes before 5:00.

"Hey, you look great," Chris told me with a big smile when I opened the door.

"You think?" I asked apprehensively. "It's not overdone or anything?"

He laughed and grabbed my hand, pulling me gently out of my doorway, and shut the door behind us. "You look fine, and I'll be damned if I let you back in that house to primp some more," he teased me.

"I do not primp!" I replied in the most posh, cultured voice I could manage.

"I know you don't," Chris agreed, still chuckling, giving me a kiss on the forehead. "But you look amazing anyway."

I blushed slightly and changed the subject. "Lets go, or else your mom'll think we've gone and eloped to Mexico."

Chris smiled devilishly and countered with, "We could, you know. You're familiar with the place, aren't you?"

I rolled my eyes and couldn't help but grin. "I only lived there for less than three weeks. Some people have vacations that are longer than that! Now let's go!"

I wasn't really all that nervous about the dinner. I had already met his mom twice, so I knew what to expect. She'd look tired, over-worked, but have a bright smile on her face as we came in. I was glad Chris had such a nice, loving mother to make up for his awful dad.

My predictions, I concluded when we entered the kitchen, were dead on. Her reddish blonde hair was swept hastily up into a bun, and oven mitts covered her callused hands.

"Hello Callie! I'll just be a few more minutes. Chris honey, why don't you two sit in the den for a bit until I'm done here?"

"Sure mom," Chris replied, lazily attempting to filch some food while his mother smacked his hand away. She winked at me and I smiled back. "C'mon Cal, we gotta let the chef finish."

As we sat on the couch, my feet in Chris' lap, talking about random things, I noticed Chris was anxious again. He was glancing out the window to the driveway and tapping his fingers annoyingly on the table beside him. I pulled myself up in a sitting position, putting my hand over his to silence it.

"I can't help it," Chris said apologetically, and I knew he didn't just mean the tapping.

"I know. But it'll be fine, everything will be fine," I smiled amiably, and gave him a light kiss.

Chris was about to say something when his mom called out from the kitchen, "Chris? Will you go get your brothers and sister? They're out back!"

"Yeah," Chris called back, and turned to me. "Feel up to meeting the little troublemakers?"

I laughed, nodding, and followed him to the back door. When we stepped outside I saw three kids, the two boys were definitely older than the little girl. One boy had taken hold of the girl's feet while the other grabbed her arms, and they were swinging her while she screamed in terror.

"Sheldon, Emery, stop it!" Chris rushed forward and yanked the girl from their grip, setting her down gently before grabbing the boys' by the wrist and lecturing them.

I went forward to the girl who was still sitting where she was put, tears running down her small face. I guessed that she was around three, maybe a little older. She had golden hair like Chris, and dark blue eyes. I knelt in the grass beside her and she raised her eyes to me.

"What's your name?" I asked her softly.

"Deborah, but mummy calls me Debbie," she answered in that cute voice most little girls have, rubbing at her face. "What's yours?"

"My name's Callie."

"I know yoo! Chris talks about yoo all the time!" She smiled proudly, and I laughed.

"Does he now?" I asked rhetorically, glancing over at Chris who hadn't noticed. I picked Debbie up as he turned back to me and introduced the three rugrats to me.

"This here's Sheldon, he's twelve," he gestured to the oldest boy with brown hair on his right. "This other one's Emery, he's eight," Emery had reddish hair like his mother's, "and the one you're holding is Debbie, she's five."

I looked down at the little girl in my arms. She's small for her age then, I thought. My approximation of her age suited her appearance, and yet she was two years older than it. As we walked inside I asked Debbie in a whisper if her brothers bothered her a lot.

"Chris don't," she replied also whispering. "Sheldon and Emery do if they got nothin' else to do. An' Richie's never home anyway."

I wondered if their dad ever hit her. I didn't dare ask that of a five year old girl, that's for sure. So I kept that thought to myself, and remembered that Chris had once said his dad beat up on him and Eyeball – or Richie, as his family called him – the most.

We sat down at the table, Chris on my right and Debbie on my left, and a few seconds later Eyeball came stomping in, pulling up a chair and it seemed like he'd had a few drinks with his gang beforehand. He wasn't drunk or anything, just loosened up and loud. Dinner went fine, with the exception of Emery and Sheldon kicking Debbie underneath the table, and Eyeball making rude comments every once in awhile. Marianne did her best to control this, and for the most part succeeded. Debbie was surprisingly quiet throughout the whole thing, even when she was kicked. Most five year olds I'd seen would be screaming and crying by now.

"Thanks for the dinner, Mrs. Chambers. It was really good!" I thanked her as I stood up from the table. The little ones had long since fled from the table, not able to sit still for very long, even Debbie. "Let me help you with the dishes." Eyeball, still sitting at the table, snorted at my offer.

"Nonsense dear, and please call me Marianne," she replied, smiling.

"C'mon mum, me an' Callie will finish up here, go take a break," Chris backed me up helpfully.

"Well, alright. Please say hello to your mother for me, Callie!" and with that she left the kitchen.

"Well count me out," Eyeball drawled. "I got places to be."

So he left, leaving Chris and me to do the dishes. Not that I minded at all. I still didn't like him very much, although he was more civil to me now that I had Ace on my side. "I get to dry," I claimed before he had a chance to.

"Okay by me," Chris replied, smirking. And then he promptly flicked soapy water at me.

"Heyyyyy!" I laughed, wiping my face with the dishtowel. "You got soap in my eyes! OH THE BURN!"

Chris just laughed at me and asked me, and I quote, "Can I get you some cheese with that whine?"

I stared at my boyfriend before I exploded into laughter. "Oh my GAWD, that has to be the lamest thing you've ever said!"

He just smiled and kept scrubbing at the dishes. When I finally managed to cease the giggling, I rested my head on his shoulders. "Oh, I'm sorry! It was just so funny. I've never heard someone say that before!"

"Well, what can I say? I'm one of a kind!" he came back with, and gave me a feathery kiss.

"You better hope there are no clones of you out there, or I can't be held accountable for what I'd do!"

He grinned cheekily and retorted, "Oh come on Callie, you know people can't clone perfection!"

"So you think you're perfect huh?" I asked, stepping closer to him and wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Oh I know I am."

I gave him a once over. "You know, you could be right," and with that said, I kissed him and he returned it deeply.

Chris and I managed to get all the dishes done somehow. We sat on the counter side by side talking for a bit, my head resting on his shoulder. I told him that I'd finished my room and would finally be sleeping in it again. Then, glancing at the clock above the table, I knew I had to leave. Chris walked me to the door, and when he opened it, someone was already standing outside on the porch. I guessed it was Mr. Chambers, because he smelled like whiskey, looked very drunk and had a, "I'm God so you better respect me" look on his face.

Chris put a hand on my arm and pulled me back so Mr. Chambers could step inside. The man never took his eyes off of me, even as he stepped around us to hang up his jacket. The way he stared – like someone eyeing a piece of good meat – made me cringe and shrink back a little into Chris. He took a swig from the bottle in his hand, and spoke. "So yer that little slut tha' moved in next door and been hangin' around with my boy?"

I tried not to feel hurt by what he said, he was just a lousy drunk anyway, but it still stung a bit. Chris took hold of my hand and stood up for me. "She's not a slut! Her name's Callie, use it."

I looked at Chris as if he was crazy. Standing up to his dad like that was gonna get him a beating! Not to say I wasn't grateful for it, but I didn't want him to get hurt over me being called a name. I glanced over to his dad and noticed he was still in a drunk stupor, shocked by his son's talking back probably.

Chris noticed my first look and squeezed my hand. "Go, Callie. Leave your window open tonight okay?" I nodded, the pain I felt for leaving him here evident in my eyes. His own eyes softened a little and he added, "I'll be okay. Now leave, please?" He gave my hand one last squeeze before shoving me out the door and closing it behind me.

I stood there for a few seconds, staring at the door that separated me from Chris and the second man most hated man in my life. I wasn't really angry that Chris had pushed me out; he wanted to protect me from his dad's wrath. But I felt anger at being so helpless, at not being able to protect him from what he had to go home to. At length I was able to tear my gaze away from the door, and walk slowly of his porch. I couldn't hear anything happening inside, so at least that was something.

When I got to my own house and went inside, tucking my shoes in the closet, I realized there were tears running down my face. Instantly I was reminded of Chris' vulnerable little sister. How many nights had she cried, listening to her father's drunken rages? I cast the thought from my mind, and grabbed some Kleenex before my mom saw me.

An hour later I was sitting on my bed, propped up against the wall trying to read a book. The window was open, and I could hear the birds singing before they slumbered. The light was fading, and I had no wish to turn on the light, or keep reading for that matter, so I put the book down. Presently I heard a sound, like a "Pssst!" coming from the window, so I crawled over to it.

"Hey," I said, seeing Chris at his own window.

Even in the diminishing light I could see Chris' sheepish expression. "Sorry for pushing you out like that," he apologized. "But I wanted you out before he did anything."

"It's okay, I get it," I told him understandingly. "Was it bad?"

He shook his head. "Naw, bastard passed out after one hit. Tried again and just toppled over, like when you tip a sleeping cow."

That made me laugh, but I kept it quiet. "Cow-tipping? I've never done that before!"

Chris looked surprised. "No? Well, I'll take ya sometime. It's hilarious!"

"It's a date then," I said, my grin turning into a yawn. "I'm gonna go to bed, I'm all tuckered out."

"G'night then, don't sleepwalk!"

"Ugh, don't remind me," I smiled drowsily. "Or I'll become a sleep deprived insomniac afraid to go to sleep in case she wakes up in another state!"

He laughed at my exaggeration and said. "I Love you, Callie."

"Love you too Chris!" I blew him a kiss before withdrawing from my window and tucking myself in my bed, feeling happy to be back in my own room.

A/N: This chapter's just sort of a filler. The next one might be one too, and I'll introduce Maddie, Vern's girlfriend, and Teddy's new mystery gal. Hmm…Gordie needs a girlfriend now. Maybe he'll have one he's keeping a secret. Possibilities, possibilities. Wasn't Debbie cute? It took me forever to find all of Chris' siblings names in the novella. I think chapter 12 will have Callie's dad, or at least the beginning of that whole event. Yeah. So you don't have to wait tooooo long, right? Sorry if my updates seem a little slower now, I have a huge "culminating activity" I have to do my June 6th or something, and I have to make a newspaper for it! I hate writing newspaper articles! Haha well I'm done that little tirade. I also have to do a poetry portfolio, but I'm almost done that. So anyway, I'll do my very best to update quickly! Hope you liked the chapter, please review! You know you waaaannnna!

OTHlover04: Yeah, Ace's and Callie's relationship has to do with what happens later, maybe in Chapter 12 or 13, somewhere around there. Thanks!

ViCioUsKiTTie: Haha, yeah Teddy seems to be the troublemaker in all the fics. That just seems like him though, doesn't it? At least he had the sense to apologize! Anyway thank you so much for reading and the awesome reviews!

icy-dropletz: Looks like the chapter had the right effect then! Sorry about your nails, lol. I love your reviews! I always wonder if the dialogue's good enough, so thanks for reassuring me! Update your fic soon please, I can't wait to read more! It's so good!

tracia: Ace is can be pretty sweet when he wants to be! Which is hardly ever lol, but oh well! I can't wait to write about Callie's dad! I don't want to rush it in though, so another chapter or two until it happens. Hang in there!

screaming666: Haha, collective sigh of relief. I like that. I think that part was when the girl in EVERYONE breaks out! Even I felt it, and I was the one who wrote it! Thanks for the review, hope you liked this chapter, even if nothing much happened in it!

kibel: Glad ya like it! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

ccmandmfl: Yeah, I noticed it was Stand By Me was on too, but I didn't watch much because I have it on DVD anyway. Thanks for R&R'n!

StormShadow21: You kinda confused me there at first, with the whole update thing, but I think I get it! Yep, Ace is definitely cool, and Chris was a jerk, but you gotta love him anyway. Can't really blame him for being insecure, I mean, all the other girls consider him white trash! Ace will be involved with the "Callie's dad" thing too, when I write it! Yeah, the Peter Pan reference just popped into my head at the time. Now I want to buy the special edition version of SBM! They talk about River Phoenix? Awwe! I love River Pheonix, I curse drugs for killing him! RIP River! Don't worry about the delayed review, better late than never! Well actually it wasn't even late really, because late would mean it had a due date or deadline, which it didn't. Enough or my rambling! Thanks for the grrrreat reviews! Did you think of Tony the Tiger when you read that? Cuz that's what it was supposed to be. Byes!

Snykurz: Ahhh yes. Another Chris/River Phoenix lover! I just looooove him! I wish he was still around! Anyway thank so much for the review, hope you keep reading!

MidnightBlue88: I agree with you on the fantasy moments! I love reading them, they're so cute and everything! I'm a hopeless romantic at heart! Thanks for all the fabulous compliments, they keep me inspired!

Over 50 reviews! Yay! I'll be even happier when I reach 100…hint hint! I'm getting fond of these footnotes.