Take my hand…

Vicky arrives at the front door of her house slowly as she steadies herself back down on the ground. Her new overall mindset when it came to her powers was settling in, as she was now very careful with almost everything she touched and interacted with. With help from both her family and some friends within the Protectorate, she also found a good equilibrium when it came to her aura. It was not easy at first of course, given that she was essentially a free spirit that had little to no guidance…

But it was… nice, regulating things. Nice finding new applications and turnouts with her abilities just because she forced herself to pretty much, mature in some fashion. Or maybe the better word was that Victoria herself mellowed out for the most part. She was still overall positive and was still at heart the Vicky that everybody knew, but with the onset of responsibilities, realizations, and recent family issues, she found herself at a true impasse. Where her life needed an actual direction to go, to not flounder with a large smile on her face hoping that the best was going to happen either way. That no problems were around the corner to haunt or beguile her completely.

Alas, that was not the case and as days went by, various moments of self-reflection came to light for her, and Victoria found herself wanting to take the extra steps to change. While she was no true idiot as most people claimed her to be back then, she was in fact clueless about the things happening around her and what implications it had on people. Victoria knew now how the consequences of her own actions shaped some of the lives of the people around her and not for the better in some cases. It was, bad especially with her family and with the many issues that seemed to bloom when looked at in a deeper light. She dared not claim that she was in a stance that was morally better than what she was before, but she did try her best to do better.

Not just for her loved ones, but for Amy as well.

With a sigh, Victoria walked to the door of her home and was going to open it until she was beaten to it by the one person she would absolutely call, the most important person in her life. Her sister.

She graced Amy with a genuine smile knowing that without checking her watch, she arrived just in time for dinner, and her little sister was there to welcome her.

"Hi Ames…" she said with a wave as Amy looked her over.

Victoria waited for the typical hug and loving embrace that her little sister always gave her when she came home… but instead found Amy looking at her worryingly.

"Sister… Vicky, you're bleeding."

Victoria blinked the moment she said those words until she trailed where Amy was looking and saw that the jacket already had a rather large splotch of red by the end of her arm.

"Ah… didn't notice that I got hit with a snag," Vicky said as she took off her backpack and began fishing for something to stem the bleeding. The wound wasn't that problematic nor that large of an issue, but the worried look on Amy's face and her… strange disposition made Victoria feel weird.

"I watched you on TV. Y-You were awesome." Amy said, trying to be helpful as she took her backpack into her lap and led them into the living room.

"Yeah, I was close to the whole thing, so I just decided to help. Didn't mean to get clipped by Oni Lee there." Victoria said with a grin to lighten the mood as Amy continued to stare at her wound. "Um… don't worry about this, okay? I'm fine, it's just a scratch."

"Yes… just a scratch." Amy strangely echoed before she smiled with an unsubtle strain on her face.

Victoria kept being suspicious but she brushed it off as Amy being worried.

"So… what's the plan for tonight?" she asked, hoping to change the subject as her sister perked up. It made Victoria at least feel comfortable seeing the usual spark come back on her face.

"Right… you shall be my dummy for tonight."

"Like you're going to hurt me, pipsqueak." Victoria joked as Amy merely frowned in response.

"T-That's not the plan…" she said with a low tone, almost ashamed and none of the typical blushing madness that was the Amy she knew after the accident.

"Come on, I was just joking," Victoria said as she led Amy along back to their room so she could change. While doing so, she was starting to get concerned given how different Amy had been acting from her bubbly self.

Surely, it wouldn't be something bad… right?

Wearing her pajamas, Vicky started looking around their room while Amy was seemingly writing something on their desk. She quickly noticed that none of the stuffed animal collections Amy had were touched in any way or form. She would usually see those hanging around either as a scattered mess within the room or as a set-created scenario with how Amy plays with them with her flair on medieval court drama. To see the room being neat, mostly clean, and barely touched made her feel suspicious as she walked towards Amy on the desk while she hurried writing whatever it was that she was doing.

Before she could say a word, she quickly noticed that a lot of sticky notes were placed around their desk. Some of them were mundane enough such as chores, jobs, and simple 'spells' that Amy uses to call her powers but some of them were… weird in the sense of how they were written.

Most notable of all were the books on Amy's desk. Amy liked to read, but she favored stories the best. Fiction and the many classics in literature, both for young and old alike fascinated her and fueled her renewed interest in fantasy, sci-fi, and other genres. For the most part, Amy found herself being drawn to medieval fantasy, or anything of the like… while she read mundane non-fiction books of both history and other topics, it was never something that she would frequent or go over this intensely.

The books on her desk, however, ranged from guides 'on how to be better'. 'How to Manage Your Life', 'How to Find Meaning When Lost', and various other self-help books and reference titles in psychology and other branches of thought that their mom used for some of her clients. These were, very odd for Amy to read them and worst of all, Victoria knew that her sister never needed such things in the first place knowing her kind spirit, determination, and optimism.

Were these… why was she reading these? Why-

"Amy, Vicky, dinner's ready!" they heard their dad say as Amy stopped writing in her notebook. It was only there that she noticed that Victoria was watching, and she shied away, closing her notebook and putting it back on the desk.

"Come, they're waiting for us… we mustn't delay." She said, almost in a serious fashion before Victoria placed a hand on top of hers, stopping her for a moment as Victoria herself frowned in concern.

"Ames, is there something wrong?"

Amy looked at her, her eyes shifting between guilt, shame, and determination before she shook her head. "Nothing… nothing's wrong."

"Really? Because you're being a lot more polite than usual." Victoria said knowing that the new way Amy talked and interacted with people while strange was not something that she truly felt weird about. That was, until now… because she was being a lot more punctual and forced with the way she talked that Victoria knew something was amiss.

"Isn't that the right thing to do?" Amy asked, wanting to end the conversation.

"Not if you're hiding anything… you know you can tell me if something's wrong. Didn't we promise each other that we'd always have each other's back?"

Amy's eyes and the expressiveness therein continued to run in a plethora of differing, primarily negative emotions. Prevalent from them all, was guilt and shame. "Y-yes… but, please… not now. I will tell you once I feel it's right."

Victoria wanted to say something again, but this time, it was their mom who was calling out to them. She sighed heavily as she looked at her sister. "Fine… but we are going to have a conversation about this, alright? I don't want you being all moody like this."

Amy nodded in response as they both came down together hand in hand.

Victoria, however, wished that the issue was not something that was that big of a deal.

She hoped that it wasn't but given her track record lately of things not going her way, she hoped that the 50/50 split of luck was not that terrible. Especially since this was her sister after all.

Dinner was quite nice. While the atmosphere was still mostly awkward, given the problems their parents had, Victoria found herself being comfortable with the entire ordeal. Even Amy was enjoying it, for the most part as they ate in relative silence with some conversations coming out in between bites.

"Vicky, next time call your father or your aunt before getting into that again." Her mother said as Victoria responded with a shaky, shameful giggle. Her mom wasn't a figure that Victoria leaned against, especially with recent events regarding their family, but she knew that she had a point. Plus, she observed that her mom was trying her best now, with how she acted with her sister.

"I was the closest… I didn't mean to just barge in you know. They just… they needed my help." She explained as she poked her spaghetti. Victoria saw her mom smile a bit from that interaction until she helped Amy by wiping some of the sauce on her lips. Her sister pouted from that small thing as the two exchanged a small smile with each other.

At least they were getting along. Though Amy's silence at the entire table made her concerned still. She looked at her dad who was about to talk. "A good thing the presence of heroes is a lot more emphasized in the bay lately, most of the gangs are pretty much forced into going underground with their dealings. Though Oni Lee causing a scene was definitely expected, given they're about to get Lung off the city soon."

"Alexandria's still here, Mark?" Victoria saw her mom ask.

The man, still not used to the awkwardness between them could only nod. "Yeah, though I'm sure once the point of interest they have is gone, I'm sure we'll be back to usual again." Her dad said, almost disturbed by that sentence. Victoria could only look at her mom who seemingly looked the same.

"Damn… has Sarah talked to them yet?"

"By the end of this week, probably. They're focused on that girl Tattletale for now."

"I see."

Victoria could only speculate what the two were talking about, but mentioning Tattletale after the whole Lung incident only made her worry. Though at that very moment, she was more worried for Amy than anything else.

"Anyway, I'm glad you were smart in handling that little debacle Victoria. Though make sure to keep yourself safe next time. We don't want Amy to worry." Her dad said with a small smile as Victoria nodded.

"Wasn't planning to get hurt Dad, and even then, it was just a scratch. I disengaged the moment it was necessary." She explained as she took another mouthful of her food into her mouth.

"I know, and I'm proud that you're doing your best to improve, but we just worry."

"Listen to your dad, Vicky." Her mom added as she felt their dynamic return to some normalcy, even with the awkwardness in the air. She then turned to her sister who was finishing up on her plate.

"What about you Ames? Anything new today?"

The entire table turned to Amy, as she whispered out a weak response…

"None…"

"I… I see. You're not going to tell us about your knights of the round at least? Don't you always give updates about them every day?" Vicky asked, hoping to change her sister's mood as Amy looked at her. "Ames…"

"I… I was busy."

Victoria was about to say something until she heard her mom intrude on the conversation.

"Honey, are you scared for tomorrow?"

Tomorrow? What was happening tomorrow?

"I'm not. I'm… I'm going to do well!" Amy suddenly said with a determined look while clenching both hands in a cute manner as if accentuating that she was ready. That was when Victoria's mind clicked.

"Oh shit! It's tomorrow! How could I forget!" Victoria animatedly said as the realization dawned on her.

"Language." Her mom said as Victoria apologized but she quickly grabbed her sister's hand and grinned.

"We're finally closer to getting rid of your chair!" she said in celebration as Amy smiled a little.

"Y-yes… I'm ready. I will do my best." Her sister said with a serious expression as their parents smiled.

"Huh, she starts tomorrow then?" her dad asked as their mom nodded.

"Yes, Dr. Cillian has already booked it for tomorrow. Hopefully, things will go well."

"It will! I… I promise it will." Amy suddenly said much to the surprise of the entire table as Victoria found her sister's strange behavior starting to make her annoyed quite a bit.

"Amy, it won't be easy, but we're always here for you." Carol pointed out as Victoria watched her sister nod. "Will you be coming, Mark?"

"Of course, it's her big day after all." Their father said with a smile as Victoria saw Amy blush.

"T-Thank you… I won't let you down."

"Ames, are you okay?" Victoria slipped between the ongoing conversation as their parents began speaking over them as to who was going to do the dishes. Amy ignored Victoria surprisingly as she volunteered to do the chore despite her condition. Her parents began asking her little sister about it as Victoria watched, starting to get her annoyance to rise another notch.

"Ames, let me do it instead." She volunteered as Amy forced herself to gather all their dishes, only for Victoria to stop her. Unbeknownst to everyone there was a certain tension in the air steadily rising, mostly between the two sisters as the stress and worry from Victoria started to override some of her patience.

"I'm fine sister. I-I can do this." Amy stressed as she looked at her.

"No, you can't, there's something wrong and I'm just trying to-

"I said I can do it…" Amy stressed again, her voice higher this time.

"Vicky… Amy, hold on, we should all calm down." Mark said.

"Ames… just, let me do it. I insist okay, you've been acting strange since I came home, I just feel worried that-

"Amy, just listen to Victoria honey…" Carol soothed as the cacophony of voices continued.

"Vicky, please, I just want to do this… just please allow me," Amy begged, her eyes pleading.

"Ames, I'm just worried okay, I don't want you-

"Vicky, why don't we settle down and help your sister instead?" Carol suggested as the tension was making her worry alongside Mark.

"Amy, Vicky listen to your Mom, you don't need to argue about th-

"Victoria please, I just want to do thi-

The sound of a plate being broken into pieces was heard as the definite crescendo of this whole matter. The plate that the two sisters grabbed slipped from their grasp and it fell to the floor with a grand crash. Silence permeated between all of them…

Until rational thought won over the shock as the two parents scrambled to clean the shards that were before Amy. All three of them, including Victoria, got into action as they made sure Amy was okay as they cleaned everything up…

Victoria on the other hand quickly saw Amy's withered, shocked face full of guilt as her sister grabbed both her hands.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault okay? I… I'm sorry I didn't know what came to me, I was just… I was just…" Vicky trailed off when she saw Amy look at the rest of the Dallon family.

"I'm sorry."

Everyone became quiet as Amy looked dejected and ashamed afterward.

Victoria felt as if something had stabbed her in the heart as she looked at her little sister.

Amy was carried to bed by Mark an hour later as things settled down.

Both parents were at her sides as Victoria shamefully watched from the doorway of their room in guilt. She asked herself what happened. She blamed herself fully for how it escalated that way, knowing full well that sometimes her own power could release such an aura with her feelings attached to it. She wondered if that was the cause, if that was why the entire conversation became that bad at the end.

Regardless, she felt heavily conflicted and in pain seeing her sister this way again, knowing that it was her fault this time. She didn't want the day to end like this and despite her worry and concern, she didn't want Amy to have this weight and stress again. It was bad enough that their family issues were still a concern, but having Amy return to the state when she had nightmares was troubling.

She clenched her fists in frustration as she failed her sister again in some way.

The guilt began wracking up her head until she felt her dad's hand touch her shoulder.

"She's gonna be okay."

Victoria merely stared into her dad's eyes as she sighed, heavily. Looking down and painfully holding her tears back in a pathetic manner, Victoria felt drained and defeated. "I didn't want that to happen… I just wanted to know why she was so upset, and why… she felt so sad. B-But… damn it, I just couldn't help myself and now I ruined her day."

"Amy doesn't blame you honey," Mark said as he knelt in front of her. "In fact, she kept apologizing."

"T-that doesn't make sense… she shouldn't blame herself, I was at fault for that, okay? Not her, she shouldn't-

Vicky felt her father squeeze her shoulder sympathetically as he too sighed.

"No one's to blame… if anything, I think the issue between your mom and I is starting to get to her." Mark guiltily said as he looked at his daughter. Victoria became silent until she forced herself into a tight embrace with her father. Mark returned the embrace as he patted her back. "We'll get through with this, all of us… I promise that Vicky…" he whispered.

"I-I know Dad."

They broke the embrace a second later as Mark nodded at Victoria as he headed downstairs.

Despite the promise… Victoria felt as if her dad was in the same boat as her.

Guilty, ashamed, and worst of all, unsure of what step to follow up on next.

She also knew that her dad had it the worst because it felt as if he and her mom were still floundering on how to fix the divide that was cast between them.

Victoria sighed again as she regained some of her bravery in some capacity to face her mistake head-on. She wanted to be a better sister, one that Amy could be happy with, so despite all of her guilt and insecurities about going forward, she pushed herself up and went inside the room.

Her mom thankfully was tending to Amy in a manner that made her smile.

It was strange seeing it of course after all the things that happened with her mother these past few weeks, but she was happy that what relationship she had with Amy was steadily being fixed. Her mom already talked to her earlier downstairs so there was no need for further elaboration.

Carol nodded at the two of them with a genuine smile, telling them that she was just a room's walk from them should they need her as she left the room. Amy almost didn't want Carol to leave as she clung to her arm, only for Carol to kiss her earlier as Victoria smiled.

Once they were alone, however, the wordless expressions the two sisters shared allowed them a small degree of peace as they both smiled at each other. No words needed to be expressed at that moment as Victoria reached out and squeezed both of Amy's hands.

The two sisters felt their connection deepen once more as Victoria felt Amy's hands rubbing against hers as if wishing to validate that she was real and that this was not a dream again. A motion that Victoria kept observing, aside from the many differences this Amy had compared to the Amy that was there before.

Despite all of that, Amy was her sister and within her darkest moments, she was the one that pulled her out into the light… and, because Amy was experiencing a similar issue (as much to her understanding) it was her job to repay the favor of pulling her out of her own demons as well.

A moment later they were already cuddling with each other in bed as Amy finally whispered something in her ear.

"I'll do better tomorrow, I promise."

Victoria smiled, and while in some form she understood what Amy meant, her little sister's meaning grew deeper than that.

"I know you can Ames."

"T-Thank you, sister," Amy said, unknown to Victoria, those words of familial love she gave would only further push Amy to a line of thought that was bothering her that entire day.

"Which news do you prefer to hear first, Mr. and Mrs. Dallon?" Dr. Cillian asked as he removed his glasses and placed Amy's file on his desk. Victoria continued to watch in rapt attention as her parents looked at each other in worry.

"What does that mean Doc?" Mask started.

"Is… Amy okay?" Carol asked in concern.

The man quickly raised his hands up due to the sudden alarm. "I apologize if my words felt like that it implied something terrible, but…" the man looked at the family before him as Victoria recalled Amy's intense, painful efforts earlier that day. It made Victoria shiver even as the therapist, the doctor, and her parents tried their best to make Amy calm down in a more rational fashion. "…there are issues to speak of here, and while the best of minds is getting her the treatment that she deserves, and even more so if you think about it, I'm afraid her condition isn't as clear-cut as we optimistically expected."

"What does this mean for her legs, doctor?" Carol asked, her eyes filled with worry as it was also the same thought that rang in Victoria's head.

"It depends… realistically speaking, we are leaning towards the fact that she will recover quite well for the most part. Yet, due to the severity of the damage done to both the muscles and the nerves in both legs. The largest complication we're trying to mitigate and stop from happening is her sciatic nerve undergoing peripheral neuropathy and even if we are being optimistic, the odds of it occurring is still not something we can just ignore."

"Wait… are you suggesting, there's a chance… my sister, will never walk again?" Victoria said, her words becoming softer and more uncertain as it got to the end as both her parents and the doctor looked at her. The doctor managing a small frown only confirmed it.

"We are watching her, closely and the therapist on the job to make sure we don't achieve that result is doing her best to make it so that it doesn't happen. Though given how terrible her responses are to our preliminary tests, we are considering looking deeper into it as there may be some complications that contribute to how… well, objectively poor her first day was."

"Why weren't we told about this? The other doctors promised us that she would be okay, albeit the recovery would be longer." Mark interjected as it was a sentiment followed by the whole family.

"And that's not something I'm denying or arguing against, Mr. Dallon. I'm simply giving you facts, now that we're here at this step, it's better I tell you what can and will not work should things go either way." The man leaned back in his chair as he looked at the two. "The chances of her succeeding and getting control of her legs back normally is fairly high, but we shouldn't discount the possibility of it failing, at all."

There was a heavy silence that followed as Victoria's expression shifted from optimism to pain…

Especially with how some of Amy's painful groans and moans earlier as the therapist helped her now clung to her head like a leech. Carol and Mark were in the same boat, as heavy thoughts invaded their heads.

"Isn't there something we can do to make those odds better?" Carol said.

"I'm afraid, even with the support of the PRT that seems to be very interested in this case, that's as much as we can do… unless, of course, you allow them to ask for any Parahuman under their jurisdiction to help." The doctor offered.

"No… we can't." Mark quickly said much to Victoria and Carol's surprise.

"Mark, shouldn't we-

"Carol, I don't want to argue with you about this… but you know damn well why they're so invested in this." Victoria saw her mother sag a bit as her father sighed. "I don't want Amy to be in a position that they could just exploit for their own gain. Regardless of what her current status is… I don't want that for our daughter."

Victoria did not understand what he father meant, but given the implications of his tone and words, she could only seethe a bit of hate over what both the Protectorate and PRT wanted with her sister.

"A-Alright… I just wanted to know if we could do more." Carol replied as the doctor looked at them.

"It's a long road ahead for your daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Dallon, and I'm not a praying man, but all we can do right now is just hope for the best. Whether what outcome happens with Amy, my suggestion is just to be there for her… that should be enough, especially with her current mental state."

There were a few more things that the doctor discussed with them and while he was kind, he did not hold back on the issues presented with Amy's case. Even after they left the office, the heavy feeling settled in with all of them as Victoria watched her mother and father go through a small argument regarding Amy's position.

She urged them to stop and the two did but this… aura of negativity just made their day worse.

When in hindsight, they were supposed to be cheering Amy on, supporting her.

It continued to proliferate even as they were all back in the car, in silence as Amy sat in her seat, dejected and completely numb. Her eyes filled with defeat as she leaned her head on the window.

The quiet just made Victoria uneasy and comfortable as Victoria placed her hand on Amy's own.

"It'll be okay Ames… it's just the first day."

Amy didn't even respond. Victoria caught her dad's glance by the mirror while Carol spoke up.

"You're going to walk again, Amy… we'll make sure of it… isn't that right, Victoria?"

Amy still did not respond as Victoria felt as if her world had once again crashed.

Still, she wrapped her fingers in Amy's hand. Amy subtly squeezed it as the car ride continued in silence.

"I want to try something." Amy determinedly said as it was late at night.

Amy sat up on her part of the bed as Victoria looked confused.

"Try… what?"

"Your arm sister… I think I'm ready to try."

Groaning, Victoria sat up from her position as she moved the sleeve up for both her arms. The wound from the other night was already closed up but still fresh. She then watched her sister, who took a deep breath at first as she took that arm that had the wound into her own.

"Amy? What is this about?"

"Mama… papa, and the rest told me that I used to heal… when… w-when I was still the Amy you know, I could heal without issue. I wish to test if I can do it, s-so that you and everyone else won't be hurt again." She explained as Victoria widened her eyes at her words.

"A-Alright… but you forgot something important first."

Amy's hardened, concentrated expression softened. "What is it?"

"You should always ask, whoever you heal for their permission. Regardless if it's us, a stranger, a hero, or even a villain." Victoria explained with a small smile as she recalled her sister before the accident.

"O-Oh, then… do I have your permission to heal you, s-sister?" Amy asked.

That sentence, that line brought a bit of memories back. Even if it was not the line, beat for beat. Its essence and new context almost made Victoria tear up.

"Y-yeah…" she let out with a chuckle, holding back her tears.

"Very well then…" Amy's hands then glowed as she began focusing on her wound.

Victoria supported her sister and was never scared about this at all, but as minutes passed… Amy continued to concentrate, get frustrated, and sweat in full effort… Victoria's smile waned.

"I… I can do this." Amy said even as no change appeared on Victoria's wound.

"Ames…"

"Just wait… I can make it work… I have to."

"Ames…" Victoria softly said again as Amy was now trembling.

"Please work… I'm doing everything correctly… I…" the glow on Amy's hands fizzled out and the room was left back into silence. The breeze from their window cooled the air as Victoria watched her sister deflate.

"Why won't it work?" Amy's soft voice resonated as Victoria quickly placed her hands on both her sister's sides.

"It's okay… maybe we need more time." She reassured.

"Why doesn't anything work?" Amy asked one last time…

It echoed Victoria's own feelings at that current moment.

Amy's mood just got worse.

Day after day since the visit from the doctor and subsequent therapy sessions only destroyed her mood. Both her parents were supporting her the best they could, but the aura of divide and uncertainty in their relationship only served to break Amy's own spirit.

Victoria did the best she could, but she knew that Amy was close to breaking…

… and it tore her apart knowing that she was helpless again in stopping it.

She sat in relative silence thinking about it as she called Taylor earlier, asking for advice.

It did make her mood better, especially since Taylor's mom was able to call her own mother as well, but the sheen of regret and sorrow still deepened.

She just didn't know what to do as she sighed to herself.

Everyone was preoccupied with the whole house. Her dad was absently washing their car, her mom was helping herself with the household chores in guilty silence…

And Victoria was… well, she was sitting.

Unsure why she wouldn't just go upstairs and be there for Amy.

She stewed on those thoughts until a heavy thud could be heard from upstairs…

With Amy's screams of pain occurred a second later.

"AMY!" Victoria flew as her parents also abandoned what they were doing to join her. Victoria quickly opened the door to their room and saw Amy, trying to get back in her wheelchair. She was groaning and moaning in pain as Victoria approached…

Only to hear Amy plead. "I c-can do this! It was just an accident and I s-slipped."

"Ames…"

"Please… please… I just want to prove to m-myself that I can do it…"

"Ames, just let me help."

Amy froze at her words as her expression caused Victoria and their parents to stand still.

Amy began sniffling softly. She started covering her eyes, trying to wipe her tears as she started sobbing in silence. Victoria wanted to help her up until Amy spoke.

"I'm sorry… I… I have been rude… I… I have been unreasonable." Amy could not muster saying each word as she started crying in front of them all.

"Ames… y-you're not," Victoria whispered as she sat on the floor with her. Tears barely held back.

"I just don't want to feel useless…"

A heavy, still silence wrapped everyone in the room as Amy continued.

"Day after day… I sit here, doing nothing while you're all doing your best for m-me. I play my toys, w-watch and read things I-I like and act like nothing's wrong." Amy wiped her eyes as she cast her face down, tears trickling on the floor. "I can't help my s-sister and I-I'm scared that she won't come home b-because I wasn't there to help her. I'm s-scared one day to see you die knowing that I could have done something to prevent it."

Guilt wracked Victoria as she watched her sister. A wet tear trickled down her own cheek.

"I don't even know if I deserve to be h-here still… I don't know if I am Amy or I'm just somebody who took over the life of another in exchange for a stupid… wish and even then, I'm still useless. People still get hurt around me while I couldn't do anything… b-because I'm so weak."

Victoria wanted to put Amy into an embrace until Amy continued to speak her next words…

"Mama and Papa still fight because of me… I can't even help them to get along, or f-forgive each other. The only thing I can do is cry while I watch as this family crumbles around me because I just wanted to prove that I can do something."

Mark and Carol shared a look with each other as guilt tore their heads.

"I c-can't even walk… I c-can't even heal… I… I can't even make my family less miserable because I'm trying to be selfish…" Amy's sobs became louder. "I-I'm just making things worse… and I… I'm so sorry…"

Victoria placed Amy into a tight embrace as she too teared up.

"I'm so sorry for being so useless…"

Victoria felt Carol press onto her and Amy. Mark did the same as the entire Dallon family was now placed into a silent, uncertain embrace.

Amy's cries would continue well into the next hour…

But despite the sorrowful atmosphere, Victoria, Mark, and Carol silently agreed that Amy was now the center of their family, the light that they clung to. The love that they always came back to…

And the best they could do is to maintain that center both for their family and for Amy.

AN: Goddamn it… I teared up writing that final scene.

Anyway, interlude chapter next!