On a Thursday morning, a ferocious thunderstorm rolled over Los Angeles. Bright, white lightning flashed across the dark skies before a crashing bolt of thunder shook the city's grounds. The force of the strike quaked the Evans residence, abruptly awaking all its inhabitants.

Tension jolted through Denise's whole body as she woke, her blurry vision scanned her surroundings as she tried to process what had just happened. "It's alright," Chris whispered, wrapping his arm tight around her waist. Her spasmodic awakening shocked him a lot more than the crashing thunder outside their window. "It's just a thunderstorm, it'll pass." He pulled her back into his front, pressing a tender kiss on the back of her neck. "Go back to-" Before he could finish his sentence, Jack's cries came through on the baby monitor.

"Great," Chris groaned, pulling away from Denise to roll out of bed. He ran a hand through his hair as he got to his feet. Denise propped herself up on her elbows and glanced over at the clock that read 4:12AM. She sighed and watched as Chris walked out of their bedroom to retrieve their wailing child.

Dodger padded into the bedroom first, with Chris and Jack on his heel. Denise sat up, back against the headboard as she held out her arms for Jack. The poor boy was bawling his eyes out despite his dad's desperate attempts to soothe him. Dodger jumped onto the bed and rested his head on Denise's leg, watching as she took the two year old into her arms.

"It's alright, sweetheart," she cooed, running her hand up and down his back as he continued to sob. The thunderstorm outside offered no aid in his comfort; another bolt of thunder struck. "Hey, you're okay." She looked over at Chris when Jack tightened his grip around her neck, burying his face in her hair. "The thunderstorm is just loud, it's not going to hurt you."

Jack loosened his grip and turned to the curtained window as Denise sat him down between herself and Chris. The curtain lit up as lightning flashed outside. Another bolt of thunder came crashing down and Jack quickly buried himself under the covers. "Thunderstorms are nothing to be afraid of, bud," Chris gently pried the covers from his tiny hands. "Like Mama said, the thunderstorm is just loud. It is not going to get you when you're here with us, we won't let anything happen to you."

"You promise?" Jack looked between his parents.

"We promise," they answered with a smile and a nod.

Chris rolled out of bed, walking towards the window to take a peek through the curtains. "I guess we're not going for our bike ride after all." He glanced over his shoulder, chuckling, when he heard Jack's little groan. Denise stifled her own chuckle as she kissed the top of their pouting son's head. "I know, buddy. I'm disappointed too, but we can't control the weather." Chris plopped himself back down on the bed. "We can go another day, when the sun's out."

"It'll be nice to have a quiet day inside," Denise ran her hand through Jack's hair. "We can all watch Disney movies and eat popcorn, then you and Dodger can play with your toys. Or you and I can bake cookies, or you and daddy can draw pictures to put on the refrigerator. I think that all sounds like fun." She leaned forward for the toddler's opinion. "What do you think, hm?"

"Can we make chocolate chip cookies?"

"Of course we can, we'll make as many as you want."

"Then I wanna make a million!" Jack bounced excitedly.

"A million?" Chris chuckled. "Well, that's a little ambitious."

"It is very ambitious," Denise corrected. "Why don't we make two dozen instead?" She suggested and Jack pondered her offer, squinting. "Two is better than one, y'know. Think about it. A million, or two dozen? Which sounds like more?" She winked at Chris when he snickered at her attempt to trick their child. "Personally, I think it's two dozen. What about you, Daddy?"

"Oh, two dozen for sure."

"Mm..." Jack wiggled his little mouth. "I wanna call Uncle Donovan."

"What?" Denise laughed. "Why would you call him, don't you trust us?"

"I do! But Uncle Donovan is better at numbers than you and Daddy." Jack unknowingly quipped and both his parents scoffed in amusement. "Could I please borrow your phone, Mama?" He asked, crawling over her legs to reach for her phone sitting on the bedside table. But his father caught him and locked him in his arms before he could grab the mobile phone.

"Uncle Donovan's still sleeping, as should we all be. If you want to stay here with us, you're going to have to go back to sleep," Chris told Jack as he tucked him in between Denise and himself. "If we're planning to have a fun filled day, we're going to need our rest now. So everyone, lights out. Including you, Dodge," he pointed at the dog and Dodger whimpered, quickly resting his head where Jack's feet ended.

The thunderstorm continued to roar outside, but now safely tucked between his parents, it didn't bother the two year old as much. He snuggled close to his mother and closed his eyes, a fistful of her t-shirt in her little hand. "Sleep well, baby." She kissed his forehead then settled back into her pillow. Jack's return to a deep, peaceful slumber filled Denise's heart with so much joy, and in turn, her content filled Chris'. She looked up and smiled when she saw him smiling at her. "What?" She reached for his face and tenderly traced his jawline. Her smile widened, reaching her eyes when he caught her wrist and kissed her fingertips.

"I'm just happy."

"Me too," she smiled. "I'm starting to understand why you haven't been looking for work. I've only been on hiatus for six months and I'm already thinking I'll never be ready to dive back into the Hollywood life, I can only imagine how you must be feeling." Chris' smile faltered and he released a light chuckle. "I know work is probably the last thing on your mind right now, but can I ask what's next for the illustrious Chris Evans?"

"Believe it or not, work's not the last thing on my mind right now." He said and she felt her brows furrow in confusion. "It's actually all I've been thinking about for the past three weeks, so yes, please, ask away because I've been dying to talk to you about it." Her confusion increased and he answered her question before she could ask it. "I didn't know how to bring it up. You finally caught a bit of a break, I didn't want your mind back on the grind."

"While I appreciate your thoughtfulness, I don't appreciate you suffering alone when we swore for better or for worst." She smiled and he mirrored it. "What's on your mind?" She gently squeezed his shoulder. "It must be something bad if your shoulders are so tense. Do you want a massage tonight?"

"If that is a legitimate offer, then I am a definitive yes." He winked and she chuckled. "No, it's not bad. But it is weighing on me a little and I could really use your advice." He told her and she beckoned her head, prompting a continuation. "A few weeks ago, I got a call about a directorial job for a Netflix film, an independent indie. It will be similar to 'Before We Go', in the sense that it's a romantic drama. It's a small budget, minimal cast film. There won't be any big names to appease, I can focus solely on the plot which- y'know, even if I haven't read the script- already sounds like it's going to be an amazing job."

"That it does." She agreed and he nodded. "What's the problem then? From the way you've described it, it sounds like the perfect job for you to dive into after your hiatus. I mean- it's going to be hard work, but it's going to be work you'll thoroughly enjoy. You've been wanting a directorial job for a while now, a Netflix movie is a great start. Everyone is on Netflix these days, the exposure is going to be fantastic."

"I know, I'm just..." He trailed off, playing with the hairs on his beard as he pondered. "It is a great job and I am excited about the prospects that could arise from it. I just- I don't want to miss out on anything here, y'know? I feel I missed out on so much with you because of work, rushing through the initial stages and kinda just jumping straight into being a couple."

"Which wasn't so bad. Personally I liked how we jumped straight into being a couple, don't you?" She quizzed and he pressed his lips together, pondering. "Had we taken the more traditional route, you would've had to bring your A-Game. Wear something other than a plain t-shirt," she teased and he scoffed then chuckled. "You would've had to spend a ton on roses and chocolate, as well as have an arsenal of ice-breaker questions ready for any awkward silences."

"Like we'd have any awkward silences when you talk so much," he quipped and it was her turn to scoff. "But I see your point. Y'know, if I'm being honest...I did enjoy skipping past the bases." He winked and smirked, and she burst into laughter. She covered her mouth when he reminded her, chuckling, that there was a two year old sleeping in-between them. "Had I been on hiatus..." He began and she tilted her head, curiously waiting for him to finish his train of thought. "Do you think we would've taken the traditional route, with the way we met?"

"I don't think so, no," she shook her head. "I think we would need to be completely different people if we wanted normal. I mean- I guess we did kind of date, all that time spent together when we were pretending like we could just be friends- it counted. But looking back, I don't think it was ever in our cards to be the traditional couple."

"Me neither."

"I believed, even before I met you that you were the man I could have forever with. Do you really think I'd play the game from the beginning when I had the option to jump ahead to the end? The answer is 'no'," she told him, chuckling. "Dating is for those who don't know what they want yet, who they want yet. But I knew, so- yeah, I'm glad we skipped ahead, I wouldn't have had it any other way."

Chris' gaze fell on Denise's lips. He ran his tongue across his own then bit back his growing smile with a shake of his head. "God," he quietly exhaled his frustration. He looked between Jack and Dodger, chuckling. "If these two weren't here right now..." He whispered and she giggled, reaching over to give his shoulder another squeeze. "I love you, and my love- it grows every day, every time we have conversations like these. It's- you're-" He cut himself off with a huff. "You're not making it easier," he admitted with a small smile.

"The job?"

"The job," he nodded. "It was one thing being away from Dodger, then I met you and- God, it was hell being away from you. But now we have a child and..." He trailed off, running the pad of his thumb across his bottom lip as he fell into a deep thought. "After my contract with Marvel, I told you I wasn't going to take on more than one film a year. And if I take this job, then..." He trailed off again, sighing.

"Do you have another offer?"

"No, but you know what it's like once I come off a hiatus."

"Baby-" She chuckled, slightly bewildered by his turmoil. "What you told me, it's not set in stone. I'm not going to get upset if you change your mind, you're allowed to make as many films as you want to make in a year. If you find a project that you're creatively hungry for, go do it. I don't want you to starve yourself for my sake."

"No, but- Denise, I've always said that once I achieve domestic bliss I'd be okay giving up all the other stuff. And I am, don't get me wrong. I'm just- I'm starting to reframe and I feel like- I don't know, like I want the best of both worlds. I want to continue my career as well as be there for you and for Jack, and- I don't know if I can do that. I'm afraid I will focus too much on one job and neglect the other and..." He trailed off, heavily sighing. "This why I have knots in my shoulders. What should I do? Please," he begged, "tell me what to do."

"Take the job, Chris."

"But is that the best thing for-"

"If the roles were reversed, what would you tell me to do?"

He kept her gaze, paused in thought. He knew the answer, he just needed the moment to really appreciate how lucky he was to have a wife as understanding and supportive as Denise. His lips finally curled into a smile and he answered her, "I'd tell you to take the job." She nodded in response. "I'd tell you to do whatever makes you the happiest, even if that means jumping out of a plane twelve thousand five hundred feet above ground."

"Exactly," she smiled. "So take the job, Chris. You've spent the last two years raising our child and supporting my career, I think it's time for me to return the favor. You're not going to miss out on anything, Jack and I will be as uninteresting as possible while you're away. I promise," she chuckled when he did.

"Thank you," he whispered as he leaned over to meet her lips.

"You're welcome," she smiled and kissed him.