The girls met up back inside Cindy's hideout in the warehouse at Fifth Avenue. The laughed and high-fived. They'd just successfully saved the day and they hadn't needed any adult's help.

"That was awesome," Jessica smiled, "And we didn't even need to kill anyone."

"I know," Cindy nodded.

Tess handed back her guns to Cindy, "All I needed were my wings."

"We can do some awesome things," Cindy stressed, "You two have my cell?"

"No," they shook their heads.

"Oh. Let me give it to you."

The girls exchanged phone numbers. That way, whenever Cindy picked up something on her radio at night, she could text it to the two other teenage superheroes.

"I better head home," Cindy told them.

The other two girls agreed and flew off into the night towards Avengers Tower. They got to sleep quickly because they were tired after such a fight-filled night. But Tess wouldn't stay asleep.

There came a tap at her window around two in the morning. Surprised, Tess woke up and glanced around, wondering what had awoken her. Another few taps came on the glass of her balcony window. Getting up, she carefully picked her way over her friend Jessica and unhitched the balcony door. But she wasn't completely stupid: in her left hand was a gun she kept with her when she slept. She saw a figure through the glass and wondered first of all, who the hell was this person, but also how the hell did they managed to scale the Avengers Tower?

The answers were one in the same. Opening the door she noted the blue skin and metal wings of Warren Worthington. With a smile and a blush, Tess slipped outside and closed the door softly behind her.

"What are you doing here," she demanded giggling.

"I wanted to see you again," Warren smiled.

Tess grinned like a maniac. She mentally scolded herself for this as she blushed- she'd only met this kid once!

"It's probably best if we talk somewhere else," Tess hissed, closing the door to her balcony behind her, "Follow me; I know just the spot!"

She climbed up on the rail of the balcony and jumped off, letting her wings spread and the air lift her up. Warren followed suit. The wind blew through Tess' hair and carried her up upon its breath. She led Warren to her favorite roof top not far from Avengers Tower. Together, the two of them sat on the edge of the building, dangling their legs over the concrete wall.

"So, Warren," Tess smiled, "How'd you get your wings?"

"They began emerging naturally when I was eleven," he replied, "The wings, I mean. HYDRA plated them in metal to protect them later. And you?"

"HYDRA gave me a serum when I was 14 and they grew fully when I was about 15 and a half."

"Cool."

"What do you do for HYDRA?"

"Not much yet," Warren shrugged as he told his lie, "I'm just theirs for observation."

"Do you like it there?"

"Yes," Warren nodded, "I feel loved and appreciated for who I am."

"That's wonderful," Tess smiled, "I remember the friends I made in HYDRA. Are they still safe? Are they still around? Like Doctor Tom?"

"Doctor Tom's still kicking," Warren laughed, "He's my doctor actually."

"That's awesome! What a small world!"

"So why did you leave HYDRA," Warren asked her as they sat, dangling their legs over the side of the building.

Tess shrugged, "I didn't really have a choice, you know. They left me behind. Captain America found me with his friend and they rushed me back here. I didn't have much of a choice in the matter."

"That sucks," Warren nodded, "Well, you can always come back to HYDRA. We'd love to have you back. We're doing some awesome training exercises next month on AIM Island. Should be really fun."

"I'll keep that in mind," she smiled.

Warren looked at her long and hard, "I know how difficult it is to fit in. I've heard from Jena that you get picked on at school by that Flash Thompson. I heard about that man who shot you. It isn't right that you should have to put up with all that. Come back to HYDRA, and all that will go away. People will love and appreciate you for YOU, not for the regular person the world wants you to be."

"I do miss being around people like me," Tess nodded.

Warren smiled, "Well, it's getting late. HYDRA will want me back. Here's my phone number."

He slipped her a piece of paper with his number on it.

"Thanks," she grinned.

"Don't hesitate to call me, Tess. I'm here for you."

With that, he stood up and leapt off the building, letting his wings fill with air, propelling him high into the late night sky. Tess watched him go with longing. Part of her wished she could go with him, feel the wind in her wings like he could. But she had school tomorrow. She didn't like school very much. She wasn't the brightest student in the classroom. She struggled with pre-calc and chemistry, especially.

With a sigh, she too took off from the building and flew back to her balcony. The sun was just beginning to rise when she opened her door and went inside, tiptoeing past Jessica. If it hadn't been for Jessica and Cindy, Tess probably would've gone with Warren right then and there. But she had made friends here.

With a sad smile, she sat on her bed and looked around her room. The Avengers were nice enough, she supposed. But they weren't family. They led busy lives. They had shown her great kindness, yes, but they had also forced her to sever all ties with HYDRA, and HYDRA had been her life. The more she dwelled on it, the more she felt it was somewhat of a slap in the face.

An hour later Tess woke Jessica. The two got ready for school, and the day started bright and early with breakfast. Natasha was the only one up and she was reading the newspaper in the kitchen. Everyone exchanged good mornings and went about their business.

It was to be another normal day in the life of an abnormal teenager.