Hello, one and all. So, I am very sorry for the long wait again. I am the worst updater in the world, but such is life. Anyways, I just want to give a quick shout out to the following people who left me a review last chapter:

Guest: Here is the update!

Littlekid13: Sorry for the wait. Here is that update. Hopefully, it satisfies your suspense.

Abovethecloudsbetweenthestar s: Well, you have to beg no longer. Philosophizing is fun sometimes. Thank you for all the reviews, and I'm glad you like it.

Is your heart in the game: Oh, thank you so much! Thank you for your advice. I have taken it into my planning, so I hope you are satisfied. I will try to flesh out Jenn and Cody more in the coming chapters.

Smokeymarie: Thanks for pointing out those mistakes. I keep getting them confused, and I tried to fix that mistake this chapter. The nightmare may or may not be intertwined with other things. Just have to wait and see.

Also, a big thank you to everyone who has been reading this story. I appreciate it so much. I was also in a weird mood when I wrote this chapter, and I feel it is more sentimental in ways. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Chronicles of Narnia.

Be Careful What You Wish For

Chapter 13: Preparing for the Ball (kind of)

"No one is going to help you now," the beast cackled, reaching for me. "Why would they help a traitor like you?"

As he hand closed around my waist, I opened my mouth, and screamed bloody murder.

"LET ME GO!" I screamed, flailing my arms in a desperate attempt to get away.

"CHRISTINE! WAKE UP!"

Snapping my eyes open, I bolted upright, and knocked my head into something hard.

"Ow."

Turning my head, I saw Jenn sitting on my bed, rubbing her forehead, and Cody, standing a few feet back. Both were in their pajamas.

"That sounded like it hurt," Cody said, coming closer to the bed.

"You think?" Jenn and I said together.

"What are you guys doing in here?" I asked, sitting up and shifting over so that there was room for all of us to sit.

"We could hear you yelling clear across the hall. It's a wonder you didn't wake up the whole castle," Jenn said, sitting beside me while Cody sat by our feet, facing us. "You're shaking like a leaf. What was it that scared you so bad?"

"It was nothing." I said, looking at my hands. I knew that it was stupid to feel embarrassed about this whole thing; after all, you can't control what you dream about; but something was stopping me from telling them.

"Bull-fucking-shit."

"Cody! Watch your language!"

"Sorry, Jenn, but you know that it's true." I looked up to see Cody and Jenn having one of their staring contests. Cody broke his gaze, and turned to look at me, with an expression almost as serious as the one in my dream. "You very rarely talk in your sleep, let alone scream, so whatever it was that you were dreaming about, it scared you to no end." His expression softened. "You know that you can tell us, right?"

"Yeah. I know." I could feel myself fiddling with the blanket. "And you're right. It wasn't nothing, but now that I'm thinking about what I was dreaming about, it seems silly and stupid."

"Tina, anything that makes you feel scared is not silly, and it's not stupid either." Jenn said, wrapping her arm around me. "You know that you can tell us. We won't judge."

She was right. If I couldn't trust Jenn and Cody, who were pretty much my sister and brother, then who could I trust? Taking a deep breath, I started on my dream/nightmare.

"It started off normal enough. Well, as normal as a dream can be. I was with Apollo out in some field. We were headed on our way back to the palace, when Apollo said he smelled smoke. We came across a fire, and I left Apollo to investigate. I found an out of control fire, and I went to try to get back to Apollo. The smoke was so thick that I couldn't see him." I took a shaky breath, trying to let out some of my fear. Jenn rubbed my arm, and Cody squeezed my foot. "I tried to run, but I couldn't. All I could do was watch as the fire transformed into a hideous beast; the one from the Disney movie. He…he reached into the fire, and pulled out Apollo's dead body. He told me that I had brought it upon everyone." I could feel my eyes start to tear. I quickly wiped them away. I felt Cody shift his position on the bed, so that he was on sitting on my other side. I could feel Jenn rubbing one of my hands, while Cody rubbed the other. "And then you guys showed up. You two, Edmund, Lucy, Peter, Susan and Caspian. I asked you guys to help me, but you didn't. You told me that I had caused the fire, and that I had betrayed you all. You called me a bitch and a traitor. You left me there for the monster. Even Aslan left me."

I could feel the tears falling, but I didn't wipe them away this time. I just let them fall. A part of my brain knew that they would never abandon me, but my heart still felt broken. Like someone had just ripped it out of my chest.

"Oh, Tina, we would never leave you." Jenn said, pulling me into a hug.

"We care too much about you, you silly goose," Cody said, trying to lighten the mood.

Letting out a shaky laugh, I looked at them, and I could see the truth in their eyes. Smiling, I whipped away my tears, before pulling them both into a side hug. We stayed like that for another fifteen minutes, before we all started to yawn.

"You guys should go back to your rooms," I said. "Get some sleep."

"Are you sure?" Jenn asked, while Cody let out a big yawn. I chuckled.

"Yes, I'm fine."

They both looked at me, then at each other, and then back to me. I guess they had come to some short of silent agreement because they both rose from the bed. I snuggled down into my blanket, trying to get comfortable. Jenn and Cody moved the blanket so that it was underneath me.

"Did you really just tuck me in?" I looked at Cody and Jenn with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, now shut up and go to sleep." Jenn said, using her no nonsense voice.

"Yes, ma'am." I said, smiling at them as they started towards the door. They were just about to leave before I called to them. "Thanks you." They smiled back, before leaving. Snuggling deeper into the bed, I let the happier feelings push out the rest of that nightmare. I knew that they would never leave me, and neither would the others.

Jenn's Point of View

As Cody and I stepped out of Christine's room, I noticed a panther coming down the hallway.

"Is everything alright?" the panther asked, coming to stop in front of us.

"Yes, everything is alright." I replied, feeling Cody wrap an arm around my waist. "We were just talking with Christine."

The panther had a quizzical look on his face, but, thankfully, didn't push the subject. "Alright then. Have a good night." He nodded his head, before continuing on down the hall.

Laying my head on Cody, I felt sleep pulling at me.

"Come on," he said, leading us to his room. "We should get some sleep."

As we climbed into his bed, I couldn't help but think about what Christine has told us.

"Why do you think Tina would dream about us abandoning her?"

"I am not sure," Cody said, wrapping me in his arms, so that I was cuddled up into his chest. "But that will never happen. We both care about her too damn much."

"That's true." I smiled. "She deserves to have someone care about her the way that we care about each other." I looked up into Cody's face, and couldn't help but giggle at his expression. He looked stunned.

"Well, that was going off on a tangent." He started to pet me hair, while he thought. "But you're right. I'm sure she will find someone who really cares about her, if he knows what's good for him. He will have to deal with me otherwise."

Smiling, I gave him a kiss before settling into sleep. "Just don't scare the poor guy too much."

"I won't." I could hear the smile in his voice. "I love you, Jenn."

"I love you too." I replied before allowing sleep to take me.

Christine's Point of View

Poke.

"Christine."

Poke. Poke.

"Wake up."

Poke. Poke. Poke.

"Christine. Time to get up."

Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke.

Cracking an eye open, I saw Lucy standing over me. "Morning, Lucy."

"Good morning," she said, walking over to my curtains and flinging them open, letting in the morning sun. "Susan told me to come and wake you. There is a lot to be done before the ball tonight."

Yawning, and rubbing my eyes, I sat up. "Okay, I'm up. Give me ten minutes, and then we can go for breakfast."

"I will go and wake up Jenn and Cody then," Lucy said, smiling. You could feel her excitement for the ball tonight rolling off of her.

"You may need more than ten minutes to get Cody up. Try using a bucket of water. That usually works for me."

"Will do!" With that, she left the room.

I let out a small chuckled. She would do it too. I quickly got ready, which didn't even take ten minutes. All I had to do was change, wash my face and brush my teeth. Susan had mentioned the night before that someone would be helping Jenn and I get ready for the ball, so I didn't bother doing anything with my hair, or putting on much makeup. No sense in doing all that, only to have it removed in a few hours. I had just slipped into a dress, when I heard a shout. Smiling, I poked my head out of the door, just in time to see Lucy exiting Cody's room. She was holding a bucket.

"I got them both." She said, walking back into my room.

"Both?" I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Jenn was with him."

Oh, well, that makes sense then. I quickly ran a brush through my hair, and had just enough time to slip on some shoes, when there was a knock at the door. Opening it, I saw Susan standing there, and she looked a little stressed. When I say a little stressed, I mean, a lot stressed.

"Good. You are awake." Well, good morning to you too. "I need your help and yours to, Lucy.

"Okay. I just need to get some breakfast." I said, stepping out of the door, Lucy following.

"Here," she tossed me an apple. "Come on, there is much to be done." Lucy and I looked at each other, before following her down the hall.

"What happened to the gentle part of her title?" I whispered to Lucy.

"She just gets like this when it comes to having a ball."

Nodding my head, I just took Susan's mood with a big grain of salt.

Well, boy. When Susan said that there was a lot to do, she wasn't joking. It made me wonder what had actually been done the weeks prior. We spent the better part of the morning, and more than half the afternoon setting everything up.

"I could use a nap right about now," I said, flopping none too gracefully into a chair. The final preparations had just been done. Now, we just had to wait for the ball to begin. "How exactly did your brothers get out of helping?"

Lucy just shook her head. "They offered to take some of the visiting royals on a tour somewhere."

"Wow, they must really hate helping with the ball," Jenn commented, rubbing her feet.

"Lucky ducks." Cody said, earning himself a smack with the towel from Jenn.

"Why are you three still sitting here?" Susan had just walked up, still looking stressed, but not as much. "We have to go get ready."

"But there's still four more hours till the balls supposed to start," I said, looking at her.

"Exactly!" she exclaimed, hands on her hips. Then she turned to Cody. "The boys should be back any minute. You can go meet them, and get ready yourselves."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Cody snapped off a salute. Susan shot him a not so impressed look before hurrying away.

"Thank god she is only like this when it comes to balls," Jenn said. "All that stress can't be good."

"She will calm down once the ball starts," Lucy said, standing up from her chair. "Let's go get ready."

"I still can't believe that it is going to take four hours," I said, standing as well.

"Well, you might need it, Chris." Cody looked at me with a grin.

"Oh, shut up. You would need a whole day."

"Pfft….I am already perfect."

"You might want to be careful, your ego is starting to get to be the size of Texas."

"Okay, you two. That's enough," Jenn said, stepping between us. "Let's go get ready."

Three hours later, I found myself sitting in front of Jenn's vanity table, getting my hair pulled to no end. I wasn't actually facing the mirror though. Supposedly this dryard was going to make me look stunning, and she wanted it to be a surprise. Jenn had already been done, and was now waiting for me.

"Jenn, you look absolutely gorgeous."

She was wearing a purple floor length ball gown, which had a sweetheart neckline. It also had remarkable beading on the corset, and a few jewels scattered throughout the bottom. (1) Her hair had been curled and pinned to the back of her head, with her bangs swept to the side. The only accessory she wore was a fancy headband that had white crystals. (2)

"Could you please stop moving your head?" the dryard, whose name was Blossom, asked in a rather annoyed voice.

"Sorry."

Twenty long minutes later, Blossom had finished with my hair, and was now onto my makeup.

"I can….."

"No, you most certainly will not. Queen Susan asked me to do your makeup as well." Blossom snapped, not even letting me finish my sentence.

"What? She doesn't think I can't do my own makeup?" I felt rather slighted by that.

Blossom and Jenn both gave me a look. I rolled my eyes. Okay, so, I wasn't the most girly of girls.

"Okay, okay. If Susan says that you have too."

Nodding, Blossom set to work on my makeup. Ten minutes later, she was finished, and had used more makeup than I normally do. Turning to look at myself, Blossom grabbed my hand before I could get a look.

"First you must put on your dress, and accessories. Then you can look."

"Why weren't you this bossy with Jenn?" I stepped behind the changing screen to slip into my dress.

"Because she actually looks like a girl."

"Whats that supposed to mean?" I asked, stepping out from behind the screen, and turning so that Jenn could zip my dress up.

"Nothing. Nothing." Blossom said, coming up to me with a necklace. The necklace had two silver hearts joined together, and on the edge of the left heart, there were little diamonds. "There, now you can look." She said, after placing the necklace around my neck.

Turning to the mirror, I stopped dead.

"Holy wow," I said, looking at what was my reflection. I could see Jenn's face in the mirror, and she was grinning.

"Tina, you look amazing!"

The girl in the mirror looked, well, pretty. Her hair was curly and down, and her bangs were swept to the side. (3) It was simple, yet looked really elegant. Her makeup was applied so that her eyes stood out the most, highlighted with black eyeliner and mascara. There was a light blush added to her cheeks, and her lips had a clear coat of lip gloss. Her dress was a dark pink, strapless dress, that had a few embellishments along the top. The bottom was gathered in different places, with little beads placed in different spots. (4)

She didn't look like me at all.

"Is that really me?" I couldn't help it. Blossom was a miracle worker.

"Yes, it is really you," Blossom said, chuckling.

"Thank you, Blossom." I couldn't stop smiling.

"Now if you don't catch someone's eye tonight, then I have lost all faith in men." Jenn said. I just gave her a look. "Don't look at me like that. You need to have more confidence in yourself. Any guy would be lucky to have you."

I knew that I had confidence in myself, but I wasn't confident when it came to the whole flirting/dating thing. In fact, I am a complete chicken shit. I've never had a boyfriend, so I was a complete novice. I was more of the girl that you're friends with, but that's it.

I smiled. "Thanks, Jenn." That was one of the things that I liked about Jenn. She was honest. Not brutally honest like I am sometimes, but she won't lie to you. There was a knock at the door, before Cody entered.

He was wearing black pants, with a dark green tunic. He also had on black boots and a belt around his waist. His hair was messy, but a styled kind of messy.

"Wow, don't you look stunning," he said, looking at Jenn. I noticed Jenn blush, and I couldn't help but smile. They were just so cute.

"Well, you look very handsome yourself," she replied, leaning in to give him a kiss.

I looked away, partly because I wanted to give them a sense of privacy, and also because I was a little jealous. Don't get me wrong, I love that they are so in love with each other, but it can be hard at times to be the third wheel.

"What about Christine? Doesn't she look stunning?" Blossom asked, breaking off their gazes.

Tearing his gaze away from Jenn, Cody looked at me, and his eyebrows met his hairline. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Holy crap. You actually look like a girl," he said.

I threw a pillow at him. "I am a girl, but I know what you mean."

Jenn and I pulled on our shoes, and turned to Cody, who had both his hands out.

"My ladies," he said, bowing. Jenn and I smiled. "I would bring me great pleasure to escort you to this fine occasion."

"Why, it would be our honor, good sir," Jenn said, taking his left hand while I took his right.

"This place certainly has rubbed off on you," I said, as we followed Blossom out the door.

"What can I say? I'm a born gentleman." Cody said it in such a matter of fact way that Jenn and I couldn't help but laugh.

Yes, this was definitely going to be a fun evening.

So, here are Jenn's and Christine's outfits:

Jenn's dress: .

Jenn's hair (the left picture): .

Christine's hair (the third picture down): /5757/curly-long-hair-hairstyles/

Christine's dress: /wp-content/uploads/2009/12/prom_dress_wedding_

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I know that the Pevensies didn't make much of an appearance at all in this chapter, but they will most definitely be in the next one. There will also be more Edmund/Christine interaction.

Thank you for reading, and I shall see you next time.

Sweet Country Girl