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OCTOBER 31ST, 1996
THE KIDS' HALLOWEEN costumes Cynthia and Millie had made for the kids looked great.
Both were dressed up as witches, Jamie proudly sporting a loose dress, matching cape, and witch hat, that were all black. Maisie was wearing the same, except her dress was long-sleeved.
Since moving into their house the previous summer, Cynthia had bought a wig out of a catalog, that was dyed practically the same shade as her hair, which rested on her shoulders and gave her bangs. Millie had also started experimenting with hair dye; currently having dark blue hair.
"You got a friend in me!"
"You got a friend in me!"
Both kids were singing loudly to the Toy Story song on their stereo, both off-beat but not caring. Both had developed not so bad singing voices, so it was always fun in the house when the two kids had their friends over, and they would all have a "band performance/practice."
Millie leaned over to Cynthia as she whispered, "Thank god we enrolled them in public school."
Cynthia laughed as she put groceries away. Ever since Jamie and Maisie had woken up, they had put on their costumes, and ate both their breakfast and lunch in them. They even wore them to the grocery store, when Millie needed milk and eggs, and Cynthia needed lunch materials for when they went back to school. They had gotten the day off, which meant Millie's girlfriend and her daughter would be coming over later.
Looking at the roman numerals she had gotten tattooed on her left arm, it brought back the painful memories of Bucky. And then, before she could try and stop it, she was back again, in that dark room, watching that bullet go through David's forehead. Cynthia felt a hand on her shoulder, and she whipped a knife out of the drawer, and turned around, ready to fight, when she saw Millie holding up her hands, her eyes wide.
"Cynthia . . . " Millie started. The kids had stopped singing now, and they were looking at the two women. "Why don't you go read, and I'll unload the groceries."
Cynthia bit her lip, setting the knife down on the counter gently, and replied, "Okay."
Every Monday and Thursday, Cynthia would attend therapy. And she was . . . Okay, in her terms. A bit better than the mental state she had been when she first got out of HYDRA, but . . . Not so well. PTSD, depression, and anxiety were all the causes of her spiral in HYDRA's prison. Medicine had partially helped; Cynthia wasn't having nightmares as much as she had before.
Sitting on the couch mindlessly, Cynthia felt like she was in a trance, and she couldn't wake up. The sound of the gunshot rang endlessly in her mind; John's presence was a waking nightmare; Bucky's eyes were so harsh, so, so, harsh-
"Mom?"
Jamie's voice broke her out, and she took a gasping breath, trying to calm herself down. She felt Jamie sit on the couch next to her, and he leaned his head on her shoulder and said, "I know, mom. I know it's hard."
Gently and carefully, Cynthia placed her hand on his shoulder, and Jamie continued talking. Cynthia felt far away, but she still heard him. But it was harder for her, now that she was trapped; she felt like she was suffocating. "Mom!" Jamie stood above her this time, and his eyes were clouded with a worried expression, along with the rest of his face. "Mom," Jamie repeated. "You've been crying for half an hour now."
Cynthia felt her eyes widen, and she went to stand up, but Jamie kept her down on the couch, and said, "Millie and Maisie went to go get some candy for you to hand out tonight."
Falling back into the couch cushions, Cynthia nodded, taking deep breaths. Jamie sat back down next to her, saying, "Auntie Millie's really worried about you."
"She should be. It's going to be a long time before I'll be okay, honey."
"You grabbed a knife, you almost hurt her," Jamie said, looking at his mom warily. "She . . . Got upset. She didn't know why you didn't hear her."
"I was trapped in my own mind, honey. It's . . . Hard to explain. I was kidnapped." Cynthia looked over at Jamie, and he widened his eyes, and replied, "The people got you, didn't they?"
Cynthia nodded, and said, "And they got me, Bucky, and your grandfather, David."
Nodding, Cynthia continued talking. "I'm glad you and Maisie are so close, though. Because I was really wanting you to have someone."
"I'm just glad I have all of you." Jamie replied, wrapping his arms around Cynthia.
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When Jamie and Maisie had gathered their trick or treating buckets, the sky was already lit up in a sunset.
"You all ready, my witch?" Cynthia asked, adjusting Jamie's witch hat.
"Readier than I'll ever be!" He replied, and both Cynthia and Millie laughed. Millie had volunteered to hand out candy, and let Cynthia walk the kids around the block. Both had exchanged small talk about having a chat with each other after the kids had fallen asleep.
"And you, Sabrina?" Cynthia teased Maisie, who giggled, nodding as she replied, "I got my broomstick, I'm all ready!"
"You all have fun!" Millie said, waving them away as she sat on the porch, dressed up in a Nightmare Before Christmas themed dress and tights.
"We will!" The kids replied, running up ahead on the sidewalk.
"Alright, we'll be back. Let's hope we don't have to deal with them getting sick tonight," Cynthia rolled her eyes, grinning at Millie, who laughed and waved her off.
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When the kids had fallen asleep—in their costumes, minus their hats—Cynthia and Millie sat out in the living room cleaning up their candy wrappers, which, thankfully, they didn't have much.
"I'm sorry for pulling that knife on you earlier," Cynthia started, making Millie freeze. "I felt like I was trapped in there again, and I didn't hear you. Couldn't hear you. And when I woke up, out of my daze, I thought I needed to protect myself. But I'm safe now, and it's going to take me a while to realize that, and adjust to it."
Millie stayed quiet for a few minutes, before she started talking. "I . . . Understand. From what I heard, what happened with you and HYDRA . . . I could only understand that you are a bit screwed up since then."
Cynthia looked over at Millie, and smiled faintly at her. "I don't know what I would do without you, Millie."
"Hmm. Probably crash and burn." She joked, and Cynthia chuckled, leaning forward and her hugging her best friend.
"You, Jamie, and Maisie are the best things that's ever happened to me. I'll never stop being grateful for all of you."
