a/n: Even though I have a million other stories I should update, I wanted to get out a Peter/OC fanfic that has been on my mind. So, just a quick summary: Gamila is a child soldier living in Yemen. The ring that has trafficked her has teamed up with Hydra and that's how she runs into the Avrngers and eventually, Peter Parker. Also, the language they're speaking is Arabic, I think. I used google translate and it had the English version if the letters below, so I guess that's how you spell it in English?... I don't know. Also, the title is taken from the song "The World I Know" by Collective Soul. Please enjoy guys! (I don't own Marvel)

"Al Huhdaydah, Yemen," Maria told the Avengers. They all gazed at her intently, listening closely to what she had to say. She was debriefing them on their next target: the Hydra base in Yemen. They had been searching every Hydra base they could find for Loki's scepter. So far, it had been a hit and a miss with each base. But never say never. "Our sources say it's big and full of people. Not to mention the fact that a child trafficking ring is working with them and loaning out soldiers to them."

"Jarvis, can you give us a view of the base?" Maria asked the AI. Jarvis silently complied, giving them a view of the large base. "Like I said, it's big. Bigger than any other one we've ever taken. We'll go at night, to keep the element of surprise. Any questions?"

"Only one," Steve spoke up. "These soldiers are civilians. They probably don't know who they're working for. When we go in, we don't shoot them to kill. We incapacitate, but we don't kill. Understood?" The others murmured in assent to the Captain's words. They stood up, stretching and off to get ready to go.

"That wasn't a question, Cap," Tony pointed out before he left. Steve ignored him and he headed off to go suit up.

G*G*G

The Avengers certainly got in their element of surprise. Hydra barely had time to prepare for their entrance.

"Nahn eurdatan lilhujum! (We are under attack!)" screamed the Hydra leader in Yemen, Jihan Almansoob. "Alaistiedad lilmaeraka! (Prepare for battle!)"

Gamila Quereshi was awoken with a shake, Almansoob waving a gun in her face and screaming in her ears. "Ainhad ya fatat eadimat alfayida! (Get up, you useless girl!)" Gamila didn't need to be told twice. She scrambled out of bed to grab her boots and lace them up. She was required to sleep in her uniform, in cases such as this. After she had laced up her boots, she pulled her hair back in a pony tail and she grabbed her gun, which lay nearby her bed.

The other girls in her bunker were scrambling as well. She was one of twenty child soldiers being used by the child traffickers and being loaned out to this organization called Hydra. Named after the Greek monster, Gamila had heard over and over their phrase "Cut one head off and two more shall take its place." They prided themselves on being able to recruit members everywhere, anytime.

Gamila hated them. The whole lot of them. Her traffickers, Hydra. They had brought nothing but misery upon her. They had killed her whole family in front of her before forcing her to join their ranks. She didn't have a choice. She fought for them or she died. Maybe she had chosen the coward's way out, but at least she was still living and breathing. Even if there were days when she wished she were dead, rather than living. She was fourteen and the youngest child soldier in the group, the others were all sixteen or older. That didn't stop the leaders of the little crime ring from treating her the same as they treated any other child soldier. They beat her when she didn't obey, they raped her when she was being a problem or even when she wasn't doing anything. Her life was a living terror and she knew it.

However, she learned early on that complaining or brooding about it got her no where. If anything, it caused her more misery. So it was best for her just to remain silent and keep her head down. She would give anything to escape, but she was starting to think that was impossible.

Gamila and the other girls her age were marched out of their bunker and outside. They fell in line with the male child soldiers and the adult soldiers. Along with the Hydra soldiers, they ran outside to go fight off their enemy.

"Mn hdha? (Who is it?)" Gamila heard one of the adult soldiers ask Almansoob.

"Almuntaqimun. (The Avengers.)" Almansoob replied shortly. Silence fell yet again. It was eerily quiet. Then, someone shouted out a warning before a grenade went off several yards in front of them. Gamila had enough time to duck her head and crouch down before the explosion. Then, everything went mad. The Avengers broke in and started to fight. Gamila remained crouched on the ground, watching through the crook of her elbow.

Almansoob yanked at her hair and pulled her to her feet. Gamila resisted the urge to cry out in pain. She knew if she did that she would only be punished later for it. Instead, she faced her commander's angry expression as he spit in her face while he spoke. "Yuqatil! Alan! (Fight! Now!)" he screamed at her. He still had a hold on her ponytail and he threw her forward.

Gamila stumbled when she was thrown and fell to the ground. She quickly got on her feet and grabbed her gun. She had to kill these Avengers now. It was her duty. If she didn't, it was her life on the line. She wasn't about to risk that. She couldn't die, she wasn't ready.

Aiming her guround carelessly, she began to fire off multiple rounds at her supposed enemies. She knew that it would take more than bullets to take out the Avengers. They were the strongest men and woman on earth. It would take more than guns to take them out. The Avengers retaliated with just as much fire, taking out any adult soldiers, because the adults were on the front lines.

The Iron Man flew overhead, heading towards the base. Thor hit men over with his hammer and his own bare hands. Captain America blocked bullets and hit soldiers with his shield. Black Widow and Hawkeye used their guns and bkws to shoot different Hydra soldiers and agents.

Gamila snuck around the front lines and over to the side. She hid behind some crumbled stone ruin, peeking over the edge to see what she could see. Almansoob had run off, probably to go surrender. They stood next to no chance against these heroes. But until they had surrendered, she still had to fight, to do her duty. She aimed her gun over the edge of the stone and fired at the Black Widow. She fell to the ground with a cry. "Nat!" Hawkeye shouted and he aimed an arrow at Gamila. Gamila crouched back behind the wall to avoid his arrow. She thought she had actually dodged the archers arrows, when the wall behind her exploded. Gamila cried out and was thrown forward onto her face.

Behind her, Clint pulled out another arrow, ready to fire. He stayed his hand though, when he saw who the offending shooter was. She was a kid. A young one. Maybe in her early teens. Just like Natasha had been, this girl had probably been captured and forced to fight. She might've even been raised in this world. He suddenly felt guilty. Here he had shot an innocent girl. He heard the girl moan in pain and his fatherly nature took over. He sheathed the arrow and jogged over to the girl's side. She moaned again and Clint saw a large streak of blood running down her face. She was breathing and moaning, but her eyes were closed and she seemed out of it, like she was just about unconciuos.

"I'm in guys," Stark said over the coms. "They've surrendered too." Clint looked over his shoulder and saw that the soldiers that were still standing had dropped their guns and their hands were above their head.

"Let's get going then," Captain America said, breathing heavily. "Do they have the scepter?" Stark gave a negative reply and everyone sighed. "Then, get what we need and let's get back home."

Clint spoke up. "Nat's been hit. It's pretty bad. I've also got an injured kid here."

Steve jogged over to Clint's side. "Thor, can you get Romanoff on the ship?" Thor lander by their side and nodded. He bent over to pick up Natasha and took off again, heading back to the ship. "Barton, maybe we should just leave her. After all, she's a citizen of their country. We can't just go around kidnapping random kids from Yemen."

Clint shook his head. "No. You don't understand. It's my fault. She's injured because I shot her. I shot an innocent child, Cap." He shook his head and sighed. "She needs my help. I have to help her."

"I don't know..." Steve still was doubtful. Even if she was an innocent child and even if it was their fault she was injured, he didn't think they should take her. She probably had a family here, a life waiting for her.

"I'm going to take her," Clint insisted, picking her up in his as, holding her close. "It's not like they'll do anything for her." He jerked his head at the Hydra soldiers, who were still standing with their hands in the air. "Try and stop me, I don't care." Clint marched past Steve and towards the ship.

Steve decided it was best not to argue. If Clint wanted to help her, he should let him. Maybe Barton had a point. It wasn't like Hydra was going to help her.

P*P*P

Gamila blinked, unsure of where she was. Her muscles were sore. She knew this because when she tried to force herself into a sitting position, her muscles screamed in protest. This wasn't surprising, as she had spent her previous waking moments fighting a battle against the Avengers and being thrown around by Almansoob.

Forcing herself to sit up, despite her limbs protests, she looked around. She was sitting in a hospital like room, on a hospital like bed. She only knew what a hospital looked like because she had been sent there to be evaluated by the government to see if she was fit for duty. She was wearing a soft gown and sitting on wax paper.

On most of the walls were glass windows. Gamila slipped out of bed and walked on tiptoe towards the nearby door. She would find out where she was and she would not be held here as a prisoner. As she was about to open the door, she was blocked by the archer opening the door. She straightened and prepared herself for his attack. Surely the Avengers had taken her prisoner and were holding her here for information. Well, joke was on them because Gamila knew nothing. She only did what she was told and that was that.

However, the archer did not attack. If anything, he looked relieved. "You're awake. Thank goodness. I... I'm so sorry for shooting you. Had I known that you... Point is, I did wrong, but I'd like to make it up. Hang on, don't move. I'll go get Banner." With that, he took off again, leaving Gamila alone in the room again.

She wasn't alone for long, however. The archer returned moments later with the man who must've been Banner. "Hello," Banner said apprehensively. "My name is Doctor Bruce Banner. I'm just going to give you a check up. Do you speak English?" he asked.

Gamila nodded. She had had to learn English. It was one of the requirements for being a child soldier. Not to mention, she was half American herself. Her father had been an American who came to Yemen for college studies. He had met her mother there and, after a one night stand, Gamila was created. Her mother had quickly married another, so she did not look shameful to her family and her country. Things were very different in Yemen than they were in America.

"Good," Bruce nodded. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Gamila Quereshi," Gamila answered quietly.

Bruce nodded once more before moving closer to take her pulse. Gamila flinched away. Whenever a man grabbed her arm back home, it was because he wanted to do bad things to her. Whether it was a beating or rape, it was never good. Bruce caught her flinch and he slowed his movements. "I'm not going to hurt you, OK? I just want to take your pulse and listen to your heartbeat."

The girl nodded and allowed the doctor to take her pulse. She still stiffened at his touch, but she found herself trusting these people. They were kinder than the traffickers or anyone else had ever been to her. So far, anyway. But she knew as well as anyone that she could not let her guard down. At any moment, these guys could switch from nice to crazy cold blooded killers. Everything wasn't as it seemed.

Clint watched Bruce check up on the girl in the distance. Obviously she had some trust issues. Natasha had been the same way when he had found her in Russia. It would take some time, but she could learn to live with them. With his real family, that was. In the week that Gamila had lain on the table, still unconscious, Clint had thought long and hard. This girl would need a stable home. A place to get away from the pains the world had forced on her. So, after talking to Laura some, they had agreed to let her come live with them, once she was ready. It may take a while, but it was the best option Clint could think of. She was too young to be involved in this world but he didn't want to just put her in the system.

After Bruce was done checking up on Gamila, he declared that she was as healthy as could be expected. It wouldn't hurt her to eat an extra meal or two and she still had many bruises on her skin from where she had been beaten. Other than that, she was fit as a fiddle. "Come on, kid," Clint said to her. "I'll get you a meal. And you can meet the rest of the family."

P*P*P

Gamila wasn't sure how she felt about meeting the other Avengers. They had rescued her from Hydra and her home country, which she was grateful for, but she had also shot one of their number. She was the enemy and who knows if they still saw her that way. She wouldn't blame them if they did. As much as she had hated her bosses and working as a slave in their army, she had still done everything they had told her to do. It was survival, but they wouldn't know that. After all, they had all grown up in picture perfect America, as far as she knew. Living a comfortable life where nothing like what had happened to her ever happened there.

Despite her worries that were churning in the pit of her stomach, she still pulled on the clothes that the archer, Clint he was called, had given her. Black, stretchy, soft pants and a big, comfy, purple t-shirt. Once she was ready, Clint lead her to the dining room, where the others are having dinner. The ones present were Tony, Steve, Natasha, Bruce, Thor, Sam, and Rhodey.

Steve was the first one to stand up and greet her. "Hi. You must be Gamila. I'm Steve Rogers." Gamila hesitantly took the Captain's open hand and shook it shortly before letting go. "That guy over there is Tony Stark. That's Thor, Bruce you already know. This is Sam Wilson, James Rhodes, we all call him Rhodey and that's Natasha." Steve pointed out all the Avengers to her since none of them seemed to be jumping up to greet her.

There were two empty seats next to each other. One right next to Natasha and the other right next to Steve. Clint put a hand on her shoulder and guided her over to the chair beside Steve. Clint sat himself down next to Natasha and they all began eating.

An awkward silence hung in the room. No one said a word, no one even seemed to breathe. It was eerily quiet. Gamila shifted in her seat awkwardly, picking at her food with her fork. She had never seen anything quite like this meal before. It was a mixture of what seemed to be beef, tomato sauce, chili powder, macaroni noodles, and corn. It wasn't a food she had ever eaten before and she was hesitant to try it.

Thor, on the opposite side of Gamila, was shoving the food in is his mouth as fast as he could. When he saw that Gamila was not eating, he was the first to speak up. "Is something to your distaste, Gamila?"

Gamila looked up at Thor. She knew very little about the hero, but she did know that he was an alien demi god from outer space. Or just a regular god. She wasn't quite sure. He had a kind face when he smiled, but when he wasn't smiling, it became the face of a warrior. "No," Gamila finally answered quietly. "I've just never had a meal like this before."

"It's called goulash," Clint told her with a small nudge. His guilt for harming the child had really pushed him out of his bubble. Normally he was a bit more reserved, and seemingly very serious. Now, his normally hard set features had softened into a kind smile. It seemed so natural for him, though. Like he was a parent on a daily basis. "It's really good. If you don't like it though, we can find you something else to eat."

"No," Gamila repeated quickly with a shake of her head. "I'll be fine." She picked up her fork and scooped up a bite, putting the fork in her mouth. She chewed for a moment, savoring the taste. It wasn't half bad, as meals go. Better than anything the trafficking ring had to offer, anyway. Or even Hydra, when they had started cooperating with them.

"Well?" Clint asked, waiting for her opinion.

She swallowed her bite and nodded. "It's good. Better than what the ring had to offer," she tried to joke, but no one at the table seemed to see it as a joke. They knew that this whole thing was very serious. Child trafficking was serious business and it had been unfortunate that this girl had gotten caught up in it. Gamila saw their hard gazes and she drooped her own gaze, the awkwardness returning.

"Maybe we should get to bed," Clint suggested quickly to diffuse the tension. "You've had a long day after all. Tomorrow, I can explain everything to you."

Gamila was glad to escape the awkwardness of the room. "Of course." She gave a small nod to the rest of the Avengers. She was about to leave when the red hair of the Black Widow caught her eye. Gamila stooped and turned to look at her. "Sorry I shot you," she apologized quickly before leaving right after that.

P*P*P

While Gamila lay asleep on Clint's floor, the Avengers held a quick discussion. "Are you sure about this Clint?" Natasha asked her friend incredulously. "To take her in ourselves, or even if it is just you... I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"I took you in when you were a child soldier for the KGB," Clint argued. Natasha accepted that. She had been older than Gamila was, but still young when Clint had rescued her from the KGB. He hadn't exactly taken her in like he was planning on doing with Gamila, but he had made sure that she was cared for. He had even helped her get a job in SHIELD. There was no more SHIELD now, but Natasha didn't think his plans involved getting Gamila involved in something like SHIELD anyway.

"What if she still has a family back in Yemen?" Steve asked the others. "I'd hate to think that we just yanked her away from the people that care about her."

"How much can they care about her if they let this happen to her?" Clint shot back. Steve nodded fairly, seeing the archer's point. "Besides, it's more than likely that her family's long dead. She's a child soldier. Most likely they killed her family in front of her then forced her to work for them or they would do the same to her. Whatever she's done, it's survival, not anything else." Clint sucked in a deep breath before continuing. "I think... I have a place for her to go. For now, at least. I know a family. They can take good care of her until she's old enough to do what she wants to do. If you are all OK with it and if she's OK with it, I'd like to send her there."

The others exchanged glances. It was a big decision. She was still a child soldier and putting her with some random family might be dangerous. She might decide to lash out at any minute, and end up hurting someone. She would be perfectly capable of doing so. Or maybe she would go to school and end up hurting someone else. There were any number of things that could go wrong.

"Why not?" It was Tony who had spoken up. The others all turned to look at him. "I mean, if it doesn't go well, she can always come live here with us. And this way, she'll get a chance to be a normal girl. I think it's the best option we've got."

"It's settled then," Clint stood, nodding at the others. "I'll take her at the end of this week."

P*P*P

Gamila lay in her bed, and though she was extremely exhausted, sleep did not come. What was she going to do now? The only thing it felt like she had ever done was work in that trafficking ring. For years, she had killed and fought and been tortured for this ring. She had allowed her innocence to be taken by men at any chance they got. She had murdered countless innocents, helpless innocents all because they said they would kill her if she didn't. She had taken beatings for the slightest mistakes, like her uniform being out of place, or for not putting her gun together quickly enough. The ring was all she knew, but all she had ever dreamed of was leaving it. Turning her back on those horrible men and finding a new life. Now that she was given that chance though... She had no idea what she was going to do.

The Avengers are good people, she thought to herself. They would be able to help her get past what had happened to her. If that was even possible. They would keep her safe from the rest of the world. It wasn't like Hydra or the ring would come back after her anyway. She had only been a soldier. If meager importance to anyone in their ranks.

Maybe here she would be safe. Maybe here she could find a life outside the ring. Maybe here, she would finally find hope.