So my outline is written for the story (for the most part anyway) so hopefully the updates should be coming quicker than they were before. I want to apologize about the long wait from chapter to chapter. I just don't like to post a new chapter unless I am absolutely sure.

My Beta stays on my ass guys, don't worry so your reviews won't be the only things rushing me.

Finals for me are coming up pretty soon (Almost done with my first year of college! It seems almost unrealistic!). Can't promise there will be regular updating but there will be more chapters –confusing I know—but don't worry the next at least 7 chapters are already at least planned in my head. I just got to type those suckers out. Pray for me.


"When are you going to stop waiting around for that letter?"

Steve spun around surprised at the sudden intrusion. Wanda Maximoff stood behind him with a hand on her hip. Her dark tresses were chopped short but she kept her signature red at the end of strand that shaped her face. Her hair no just barely grazed her shoulders and fell in soft waves.

"Huh?"

"He's not going to write you back, you know. He's Tony Stark. He probably forgot how the post office even worked. Trust me, you would've been better off sending a message out into space and having him find it when he's out on one of self-proclaimed missions and blowing up another planet." She snorted.

"When are you going to let go of all of the bitterness in your heart?" Steve bounced back.

Wanda's eyes flashed to his.

"Tony received my letter. I know he did. He just hasn't responded because...how do you respond to a letter like that?" Steve turned away from the glass window that took up that entire wall. The beautiful forest of Uganda was being caressed by the early morning sun and it highlighted all of the trees and animals below.

"I'm not bitter. I'm angry."

"At something Tony may or may not have even had a hand in doing. That bomb that crashed into your home and killed your parents were by Stark industries yes, but that wasn't necessarily Tony's fault. His father started the association with weapon's dealers that he continued when he took over. But things in business are never black and white. For years Tony became a background man in his own company. He had no more knowledge of what was going on in his company than your or I."

"And that's not neglect? Isn't neglect still abuse? Don't we blame the parents or guardians of the child for the child's death when they are neglected and left alone?'

"Yes. And I'm not saying that Tony was right for not being as involved in his company as he should have been. All I'm saying is that it is time to let go off all of the hatred that you hold for Stark. You got your revenge on him when you invaded his mind and tormented him with his deepest fear. You got your revenge when you stood against him as an unofficial member of the team and left him hurting from the realization of what really happened the day his parents died. He's down. He's hurt. Congratulations." Steve frowned at her and turned his back to look back out the window.

Wanda opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by T'Challa walking into the room. His gait strong and with purpose.

"My friends, there's something you all should see." His eyes strayed to the far right of the room where a man was frozen in a containment center overlooked by a few lab technicians. "All of you."

Steve and Wanda shared a look before following him into the small lab area. Two women dressed in all white lab suits were operating very complex looking machinery that made Steve very uncomfortable to be around. He and 21st century technology were not the least bit compatible.

"Release him." T'Challa spoke causing the two women to look at him for a moment before nodding and them tapping buttons on the machines.

"Why does Bucky need to be released? I thought we agreed that this was best for him until we found a way to help gain back control of his mind." Steve rushed out seeing the containment center already defrosting.

"Yes. We thought it was best at the time, especially seeing that your friend was afraid he would revert back into that mindset. However, I fear that your earlier predictions were correct. There is a threat in the area."

"Who is it? Hydra?" Wanda asked, her right hand glowing red.

T'Challa shook his head. "I do not believe so. I have received word from the villagers of outsiders mysteriously coming and going leaving only behind a popping sound. My father left in his journal something that could explain this, but I wanted to talk to all of you first before we make any plans. If it is what I fear, we could very well have some serious trouble on our hands that would require more than just the four of us to deal with."

T'Challa looked at Steve as he said the last part and Steve knew what he was hinting to. Steve nodded, but he could help the niggling doubt in his mind that said that he wasn't sure if everyone, when asked, would be willing to help.

A beeping signaled the completion of the defrosting and the door opened up. Everyone in the room waited with baited breath as Bucky began to stir. His face frowned and his eyes twitched before shooting open.

"Bucky..." Steve raised his arms up in defense and approached him like one would a wild animal fresh out of its cage.

Bucky's frown deepened.

"It's okay. We're...something's come up and it's not safe anymore."

"Is it—?"

"We don't know who it is just yet, but we have to be prepared. And having you in the chamber—"

"—Would be a risk to us all." Wanda cut in. Steve frowned at her, scolding her with a look.

Bucky tested out on his fingers and then rolled his shoulder before stretching slightly. He stepped out cautiously of the container only to stumble. Steve rushed over and caught him, helping him to a chair one of the lab technicians provided.

"Thanks," he mumbled lowly. He kept his head low, dark tangled tresses hanging down in front of his face as a curtain.

"So, who do you think it is?" Wanda began after T'Challa had a male nurse check him over. Bucky reacted almost violently at the touch of the two female medical examiners prodded him.

"My father's journals spoke of Latcas. They are supposed wand-wielding spell casters whose chants and spells are spoken through Latin. They are a very outdated group, in terms of technology and advancements in the modern world, of casters. The Latcas are mostly in Europe. They migrated over there after a lot of the witch burnings that happened in the states, but there are still some smaller communities all over the globe. Each society is hidden in plain sight, only to be seen accessed by a caster. They call themselves witches and wizards."

"Witches?" Wanda sat up.

"Not like you, Ms. Maximoff." T'Challa shook his head after the young woman's sudden interest. "They were born with their magic and take a lot of precautions to keep their population under control and out of the public eye of humans without magic."

"So how does your father know all of this?" Steve asked.

"He met a woman, here in Uganda. She was traveling from Scotland. She claimed to have been a magical researcher and was looking for a legend of theirs that might have been here in Uganda." He shrugged.

"What was the legend?"

"Of the original core. You see, she describes to my father the way they view their magic is that witches and witches all have a magical core inside of them that contains all of their magic. It cannot be separated from them, however, as it will kill both the core and the witch or wizard. And when a wizard a witch dies, the magic returns back to the original core, from which all magic is born from. This legend is not very popular; I imagine as her employer did not provide her with many funds. She was on a personal expedition and did her own research."

"Did she find it?"

T'Challa only shrugs. "He never saw the woman again after that day. Some villagers say that there was an explosion in a field far out of town, but there was no evidence of an explosion anywhere. Some speak of men dressed in black with sticks came and took her away. But those are merely rumors."

"From my experience, when someone really wants to silence someone, it's because what their uncovering is the truth." Steve looked around the room. T'Challa nodded in agreement, but both Wanda and Bucky were looking elsewhere, in their own thoughts.

But something occurred to Steve. "What did this have to do with anything? Do you think she's returned, or more of her kind?"

"And why would they be a threat. If they came once and left quietly, wouldn't they do the same?" Wanda spoke up this time.

"The Latcas are back, but this time they have been reported to be wearing disturbing masks. And they have not come quietly. Several animals have been sacrificed and one villager has been said to have been driven insane. They are speaking in tongues and have very violent outbursts when touched. He speaks of demons and sticks and red lights."

"What would be there purpose in returning? Do you think they've come to finish what the woman started years ago?" Steve asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"I believe so. And if this is the case then I fear that their purpose is not purely for curiosity's sake. I believe they intend to do something dark with it. If this magical core, the origin of all magic, is really here, imagine the damage they could do with it. Latcas' magic is very powerful when in the right—or wrong—hands. They would be practically indestructible."

~BR~

"So why haven't I seen you with any of your female companions, Mr. Playboy?"

Tony looked up at Hermione who was tinkering under the hood of one of his older cars. He wouldn't let her anywhere near his babies, but she was able to convince him to let her use one his older modeled cars.

"Been busy." Tony looked back at the holographic image of a suit idea he was working on. He spun the image around, moving his fingers to enlarge the image, and then digitally take the suit apart.

"If it's because you think I wouldn't approve, don't worry. I mean, I don't want to sit down and have breakfast with any of your lovers but..." She ignored him.

"Bunny, seriously, I—"

"Tony I mean it." She continued, turning around with a wrench in her hand. "Don't feel like you have to put your life on hold for me. I don't want your life to completely halt because I suddenly entered it. And—"

"Hermione!"

Hermione jumped, staring at him wide eyed. Tony immediately regretted yelling at her like that. Her hair was thrown up into a messy bun and she wore a pair of his overalls, drowning in them. She looked a lot younger than she acted most days and he hated how he raised his voice at her. The look she was giving him gave him a sense of déjà vu of him and his dad. He loved to come into his dad's lab and see what he was working on, but Howard often scolded and yelled at him. Eventually he just stopped coming in the labs altogether.

He didn't mean to yell at her like that. He hadn't raised his voice at her since they united and he felt awful about it. But she kept talking and talking, and he knew that she couldn't help it, but it was really starting to frustrate him.

He sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—Hermione. I was serious when I said I had just been busy. I haven't put my life on hold for you. You're one of the easiest going people I have ever met. You need very little from me, and when you do need me, I don't mind in the least."

Hermione nodded and just turned around, not saying anything.

Tony rubbed his eyes with the balls of his hands. "I'm...I'm working on this new suit. For you."

Hermione spun around. She tilted her head. "For me?"

"Yeah. I have a lot of enemies and when they get a whiff of you—and they will, I can't expect to keep you a secret forever—they will come after you. You're my biggest vulnerability and I don't—can't have anything happen to you."

Hermione felt touched at the gesture. Tony had been down here for the past three days. She hadn't seen him and she probably wouldn't have even noticed that he wasn't around had Vision not came in her room and complained about how Starks had a tendency to isolate and work themselves to death.

Tony had hired Peter Parker as a tutor for her. Her first reaction was to get offended, she was the brightest Witch her age...but Tony didn't know that. And then she got very defensive, saying that she didn't need Peter to tutor her because she didn't plan to stay in the muggle world for the rest of her life...but she couldn't tell Tony that. So then she just shut up her whining and accepted the help. After responding to Harry's correspondence she began immersing herself in the books the Peter gave her and teaching herself what she missed out on from the education system in the muggle world. It was definitely an adjustment.

"Sir." Hermione jumped at Vision's voice. That damn android had yet to learn to knock or make any type of noise when he enters a room.

"The governor wanted to know what time you would be arriving tonight so that he could set up a security perimeter."

"Arriving?" Tony asked without looking away from his project on the holograph.

"To the four-year anniversary of the Battle in New York. To commemorate the victims that died that day. You RSVP'd months ago, sir."

Tony looked up at Vision confused. "Who throws an anniversary ball for an event that had four years ago? Why not five or one, hell ten! Four is such an awkward number."

"Sir?"

"What time does it start?"

"Friday at 7 pm."

"Tell the governor I'll be there at 8. And that I have a plus one."

Vision made an odd face.

"Sir... I know that times have changed and that the people of Earth have been exposed to many new things. However, I do not think that they would be particularly comfortable with me showing up as your partner for the evening. I would hate to make anyone uncomfortable at such an event. Not to mention the fact that technology like me would only serve as a reminder to the cause of death of the victims—"

Vision stopped when he noticed the look Tony was giving him.

"You meant Ms. Stark, didn't you?"

Tony nodded. "I see you're putting that crystal of yours to good use." He pointed to the golden stone in the center of Vision's head.

Vision only nodded his head once and floated out of the room.

"I can't go to a gala that night Tony." Hermione said with an uncomfortable look on her face.

"Why? You have other plans?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Peter gave me some assignments he received from his honors Chemistry class and I wanted to finish them as well as look ahead the next few chapters before our next session. It's a lot."

"Psh." Tony waved an errant hand. "You'll finish them with plenty of time to get ready for the gala. There are some dresses in your closet I had my personal stylist pick up for you. Pick one of them and let me know the color so that we can coordinate. I'll be driving that night so be ready at a quarter 'till so that we can get there fashionably late."

Hermione gaped at him.

"You actually believe that I will go through with this." She looked at him disbelievingly.

Tony only nodded in response.

Hermione crossed her arms and looked ready to stomp her feet. "Well, you have another thing coming if you think I will just let you tell me what to do."

Tony spun around and smirked. "Oh Bunny, Bunny, Bunny. You clearly don't know exactly who I am."

Hermione hmphed.

"Speaking of knowing something, do you know where my phone is?"

~BR~

"Are you calling him again?"

Steve hung up the phone at the sound of Stark's voice on the answering machine once again. He had tried calling him for the past two days, every few hours around the clock. T'Challa was organizing a private jet to fly them back to the States to gather the rest of their former team. He was making sure that the Latcas were not in the area anymore so they wouldn't have to worry about any interference from them on their takeoff.

"I say we forget about him. He's clearly still too upset about what happened and is holding a grudge." Wanda crossed her arms.

"No," Steve growled. Wanda took a step back, never once hearing the captain lose his temper. "Tony is not like that. He wouldn't abandon us in a time of need no matter what. Something must be wrong."

Steve looked away and focused his attention on Bucky sitting on the edge of the examining bed once more. This would be his last check up before they went back to the states. Steve was worried about what would happen when the Avengers reassembled. How would they react seeing everyone together again? He hadn't seen Natasha or Clint since that they, or heard from them, but he knew that they kept in contact. Thor and Dr. Banner hadn't been heard from since the Ultron fiasco. And since S.H.I.E.L.D dissipated Fury and any other agents were wholly unreachable after going underground.

"Everyone ready?" T'Challa asked walking into the room. Everyone looked at him, but none said a word. Steve looked back down at his cell phone, trying once more to reach Tony before hearing the beginning of his voicemail again. He hung up angrily and stood.

"Is the jet in order?"

T'Challa nodded once, "Everything has been checked twice. The Pilot is plugging in the coordinates now. The Latcas haven't been seen in over 36 hours. The coast is clear. Were you able to get in touch with any of your team?"

Steve saw Bucky's head tilt to the side as if he were listening in.

"No, not yet."

"That may be because he's only been trying Stark." Wanda snarked, eyes narrowed at the Captain, who avoided the eyes on him.

T'Challa approached him, clasping a strong hand on his shoulder. "I know he is your friend. But the fact is that you betrayed him." Steve opened his mouth but T'Challa held up a hand halting him. "I know, you were only sticking up for another friend and you had no idea about his parents. But that does not matter. You stood beside the man who murdered his parents and helped beat him down further. It will take more than a letter and a few months to get over that Mr. Rodgers."

Steve looked him in the eye, knowing that every word held truth. No matter how he spun the situation, Steve did betray Tony's trust. And he had to own up to it.

"Come on. We will contact the rest of the team and continue to try and reach Mr. Stark. Don't worry. If you were all as close as I think you were, this will not be the end of your friendship."

~BR~

"Tony your car is ready downstairs." Vision called from the living room.

"I know I'm just looking for that damn phone. It keeps disappearing on me." They heard Tony's footsteps making their way from the elevator.

"Of all the features you programmed onto that device and you don't have a tracker on it?" Hermione called from the kitchen.

Vision looked down at the cellular device in his hand that Tony had made from scratch. It buzzed again at another call from Steve Rodger but Vision ended the call before erasing the history of it on the phone. "It's right here Mr. Stark."

~BR~

"I can't believe I let you drag me here," Hermione muttered out the corner of her mouth, a large and fake smile plastered on her face. Cameras flashed furiously at her and Tony as they arrived promptly fashionably late.

Journalists threw questions at them, none of which either of them answered. Tony smirked at them, causing the questions to run more rampant.

"Bunny, you should have clued in on the fact that Tony Stark gets whatever Tony Stark wants."

"And what about Hermione Stark?" Hermione kinked a freshly waxed eyebrow at him.

"She gets what she wants as well, as long as it does not conflict with what Tony Stark wants."

Hermione pouted, growling a little under her breath.

"Cheer up, Pet. It's going to be a long night, and as some point we will be forced to mingle. When that time comes I will introduce you as a long, lost sister and people will be on their hands and knees worshipping you."

Hermione scoffed, "Please. I doubt they care that much about me. You're Tony Stark and Iron Man. You've pretty much locked yourself in your tall tower far away from the rest of your kingdom. These people will be more concerned of the return of their beloved royalty than to pay attention to me."

Tony turned to her, "Did you just compare me to Rapunzel?"

Hermione frowned. "Who?"

Tony's eyes widened, "Tell me you're kidding, Bunny. I know you were a bit deprived as a child but you have to at least know the classics."

The small twitch at the corner of her mouth gave her away. Tony rolled his eyes at her giggling. He noticed the cameras flashed furiously on them once more before they officially made it inside the grand hall where the paparazzi were nowhere to be seen.

"You wounded me, Bunny. Right here," he points to the area of his chest where his heart lay. Hermione glanced down at the outline of the glow under his black dress shirt.

She had done her research before she came here. Everything had been thought out and well planned. But seeing the arc reactor up close was another thing. She remembers the first time she saw it. Tony and her when in the garage together, working on cars and all he had on was a white wife beater. But she never brought it up. It felt wrong of her to inquire about such a personal thing for him when she knew she held back so much from him.

The guilt of all of the secrets she's held back has been weighing down on her lately. So much so that the other day she spilled way more about her past to Peter when he dropped by than she intended to. The words just kept spilling out and it was hard to stop.

"What's shakin' bacon?"

Hermione looked at the teen oddly when he dropped some textbooks on her desk.

He noticed her look and shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry, I've been trying out something new."

Hermione hmmed. Peter frowned at her, looking around the room at her things. Besides the stack of books on her desk, and the other four piles of books on the floor neatly stacked near the desk, you'd never know someone lived here. The walls were empty, there were no picture frames anywhere, and the room was very clean. He fidgeted where he stood, looking at Hermione a few times before looking away.

"Is there something wrong?" Hermione sighed.

"Huh? What? Pfft, no. There's nothing—okay. Let me ask you a question." Peter plopped down on her freshly-made bed, ignoring her scowl.

"So there's this girl, right. Beautiful, gorgeous, most popular girl in school. And she's not a b—prissy girl." Peter corrected himself when he noticed her glare. "Which is weird, you know. Pretty girls like her usually aren't very nice... or even that smart. But she is. And that's perfect, right? I mean..."

Peter stood back up and paced in front of her bed. Hermione gave up the idea of studying when she took note of how frazzled the teen was.

"...and she actually laughs at my jokes. I'm funny, but I didn't know I was that funny."

"So what's the problem?"

He spun and faced her, pointing excitedly. "Exactly! What's the problem? She's perfect in every way...that doesn't... matter." He calmed down dramatically, deflating.

Hermione began to understand the situation. "So what does matter?"

"I don't know!" He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Not really caring that you don't always look great when you come to school, but when you do care you look... amazing. Friday nights inside playing video games and kicking my ass. Being able to scarf down an entire large meat lover's pie and a gallon of Sprite without complaining about carbs. Not making a bit fuss when I don't notice that you've done something new with your hair or changed your nail polish because you don't really bother with those."

He looked off at something that only he could see. Hermione wasn't dense. She knew that all of the things that did matter to him were things that another girl did, a specific girl. And she was the one that had him all discombobulated.

She bit her lip and thought about something before speaking. "Peter, did I ever tell you that I wasn't very... well liked when I was in school?"

"No. You never talk about yourself at all, which I find a bit ru—"

"Well I wasn't well liked. Was this small, bossy, know-it-all back in school. I was obsessed at being the best and having everyone now I was. I had something to prove to everyone. And nobody liked me. I was abrasive, demanding, and overall not good with understanding when people didn't want my help. It took a long time for me to understand how to deal with others around me that didn't have the same values and priorities in life I did."

Peter nodded. "Right, right. But what does this—"

"My best friend," she cut him off. "let's call him John. He was loud, obnoxious, quick to anger, and quite frankly pretty obtuse. You had to spell out things for him very slowly and very often. But I had a crush of sorts on him. But he never noticed me outside of being his friend. I was quickly dubbed 'one of the guys' because it was always us and my other best friend, who was a guy. I was never into makeup, clothes, or boys like the other girls. My hair was always in this horrid bush of curls and I wasn't would most deem pretty." She bit her lip.

Peter's eyes tracked over her face, noting that this was the first time she'd shared something personal with him. Tony had warned him that Hermione was very private and to not badger her about things she didn't share or badly lied about.

"Anyway, he dated this other girl, complete opposite of me Bubbly, dim, and blonde. She giggled at all his jokes, never fought or challenged him on a single issue, and she made him happy. It was obvious to everyone the tension between he and I. I didn't like his girlfriend and he stared at me when he thought I didn't notice. I would cry by myself in the library sometimes wondering why I wasn't enough for him, wondering what was so wrong about me. But my other best friend said something that made me realize that changed everything. He told me that guys are dumb. Plain and simple. Going after the prettiest, or the nicest, or the most popular is always easier than the smartest and the ones that challenge them because it makes them feel better about themselves for a short while. And guys will always go for things that will bring them the most amount of pleasure in the shortest amount of time.

"And I realized that I didn't want to be a short-time thing. I didn't want to be with a guy that was afraid to go after something he really wanted because it made him a little scared or insecure. I was—am a strong person. I'm very smart and very determined. And I need someone who can measure up to that. I need someone who's up for the challenge. And he just wasn't. It was easier to get over him after to that. His smiles and his jokes didn't have the same effect after that."

Peter was contemplative afterwards, staring down at his hands folded in his lap. Hermione had no idea why she said so much. He left not long after, quietly thanking her. A small weight had been lifted off her shoulder. She doesn't think she's ever told anybody about that as in depth.

"Why if it isn't Tony Stark. You've been a bit MIA lately, Mister." A thin woman with a very made up face wagged her finger at him. She clutched the arm of an older man who sipped from his champagne glass.

"Mrs. Laventhaugh, you know I like to make grand entrances. What better way to make it grand than to have those mourn my presence?"

She laughed lightly, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. The man smirked but didn't say anything, eyes flickering to Hermione twice. Tony noticed.

"Besides, I had someone keeping me pretty busy as well." He put a hand on Hermione's shoulder and smiled. "This is Hermione Stark, Howard's long lost daughter."


I have to say, I am proud of myself. I have been on a roll lately with this story. The outline I made helps a lot with keeping me motivated and on a better publishing schedule.

So you guys got a glimpse of Stevey and the Gang in Wakanda and Peter Parker. God, I can't wake for the Spiderman: Homecoming movie this summer. I can hardly contain myself. As much as I loved the Toby Maguire films as a child, I really want to see how they remake it this time. The memes about how he and Aunt May getting younger each film kill me! LMAO.

But, as always, let me know your thoughts and any questions in the reviews.