A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, i've been on vacation lately. I've also been working on my Guardians of the Galaxy fanfiction, so feel free to check that out if you're interested. Enjoy.

Natasha and Maria went to Stark Industries to pick up Pepper, who was not very willing to leave. It took over thirty minutes of Natasha's nagging before Pepper finally agreed to go just to get her to shut up, leaving her assistant in charge. With that taken care of, they went to pick up Emily, Lili, and Alexa at Maria's fathers place. John had found a place in late October and by the first week of November he and Emily had moved in. Although when Emily had free time, she still preferred the tower or the base than stay with their dad...for obvious reasons.

John was currently in the process of painting the living area, so it was covered in grey sheets and newspapers with several buckets of paint when they entered. Both women walked through the apartment, having left Pepper in the car, taking great care not to knock over any of the paint.

"Who's there?" John called from the kitchen.

"Just me and Natasha, dad." Maria answered, entering the kitchen to see Lili and Alexa seated at a table and her father taking cookies out of the oven, "Since when do you bake?"

John sighed, "Needed a hobby." He said, taking out another plate of already made cookies, offering them to the two children, who nodded enthusiastically at his offer.

"Where's Emily?" Natasha asked, noticing the teens absence as she took a cookie for herself that John offered, splitting it with Maria.

"In her bedroom. She said she was going to do some homework, but I don't think she is." John said with a sigh.

"So you noticed it too, huh? Everyone has. Even Thor...heck, even Stark noticed. I've tried to get her to talk with me, but all she does is shut me out. She called at work today. That's actually why we're here." Maria explained, sighing before she and Natasha turned and walked back towards Emily's room.

Both women stood in the door way to Emily's bedroom, silently watching the teen, who was oblivious that they were there. The teen was sprawled across her queen sized bed, propped up on her elbow as she wrote in her notebook with headphones in.

"You think she's depressed again? Think she's going to..." Natasha started, trailing off as she stopped to look at Emily before making a cut throat hand motion across her neck. Maria sighed and shrugged. The last thing any of them wanted was for Emily to attempt again after the two previous attempts.

Maria left Natasha standing in the doorway and approached her younger sister, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. Emily quickly shut her notebook and looked at Maria.

"Hey. Ready to go?" Maria asked, her hand not leaving Emily's shoulder.

Emily nodded, "Yeah. Just give me a minute. I'll be out soon."

Maria nodded and left the room with the assassin, closing the door behind them before going back to the kitchen.

"What was she up to?"

"Writing something in a note book. She shut it quickly so I couldn't see though." Maria answered, looking as worried as John and Natasha were.

"Well, we can't jump to conclusions, alright? For all we know, it could be a diary and she is a teenage girl, so she's going to want some privacy." Natasha said as the teen in question came into the kitchen, causing for everyone to stop and stare at her.

"What? Did someone die?" Emily asked, green eyes scanning everyone anxiously.

"No, Emily. Ready to go?"

Once again, Emily nodded and said goodbye to her father before she followed the two women and the children out of the apartment. Once in the car, Emily noticed that it was Pepper who was sitting next to her in the backseat as Maria and Natasha buckled Alexa and Lili into the car seats.

"Hope you weren't waiting too long, Pepper." Emily said, buckling herself in.

"Not at all, sweetie. I'm here against my will."

"Actually, you came willingly." Natasha said, looking back at her in the rearview mirror of the SUV.

"To get you to shut up and stop bothering me."

"Well, relax. Your assistant has everything under control." Maria said, getting into the passenger seat.

"Tell me again...why are we going to the mall?" Pepper asked, crossing her arms.

"For some girl time." Natasha answered as they left the parking garage of the apartment complex, "Hey Em, I couldn't help but notice the silver prius when we pulled in. Is that yours?" She added, trying to make small talk.

"Yeah it is. Tony got it as a gift to congratulate me on getting my license."

"Oh. Is that why Maria and Pepper were pissed at him a couple months back?"

"Yes. We'd be fine if it was a less expensive car, but a prius? Really?" Maria asked, turning her whole body around to look at her sister.

"Well, Dad doesn't have a car, i'm not going to ask Danny and Anna to borrow theirs, and I refuse to be driven or take public transport."

"Why not walk?" Pepper asked, raising an eye brow.

"Are you kidding me? My school is in the sketchy, most ghettoist part of New York! I go to school in Harlem, okay? And you want me to walk? Sorry, but do you have any idea how many times i've had some street gangs come up to me and try to sell me drugs and some have even threatened me and gave me the dirtiest fricken looks!"

"You know self-defense. I'm pretty sure you keep some weapons on hand too."

"Wait. You're pissed that Stark bought her a car, but you let her have weapons and bring them to school?"

"Oh please. Dad puts it in a safe box hidden in his room when she gets home from somewhere and then gives it to her before she goes out. It's not like we let her have it 24/7. It wasn't my idea anyway. It was Danny's. I was actually against it for obvious reasons."

"Yeah, Danny made me a conceal carry permit. I have my swiss-army knife in my pocket for when I reach school. During school hours I keep my gun in my glove compartment box so if someone tries to car jack me or whatever, i've got the gun." Emily said, shrugging as Natasha pulled into the mall parking garage, "It's really only for when i'm in sketchy parts alone, especially at night."

"So the permit is fake?"

"No. it's legit. Danny's a police officer so he has the ability to make them."

They got out of the car and shopped in silence for a good portion of the day, and all three of them had actually noticed that as soon as she thought no one was looking, Emily looked upset. However, as soon as they were looking, she put on a smile. Maria and Natasha knew that all too well.

"You okay?" Maria asked as they left the store and walked through the crowds of people.

Emily sighed and looked at Maria, forcing a smile, "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Sure about that? You don't look fine."

"I said i'm fine so just drop it!" Emily snapped, walking up ahead of them towards the food court.

"I'll talk to her later. Maybe Clint can help." Natasha said, giving Maria a reassuring smile before they went to catch up with the sixteen-year-old.


As soon as they arrived back, Emily went up to the 19th floor, also Maria and Steve's floor, deciding that she'd stay at the tower for the weekend, while Maria and Pepper went to the main lounge on the 23rd floor, the top floor, with Lili and Alexa. Natasha went to her and Clint's floor, the 20th floor.

She walked into their bedroom to find Clint sitting on their bed, holding something in his hand.

Confused, the assassin put the shopping bags off to the side by the mahogany dresser and went over to get a look at what her husband was looking at. Her green eyes widened as she recognized the piece of paper and the all too familiar hand writing.

The note.

A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)