Warning: There is fluff. Lots of fluff.

Note: Responses to guest reviews and thanks to all reviewers will now be at the bottom.

ALSO this chapter is dedicated to NoobMaster69's friend, yay, because I thought it was so sweet how they read my fanfic and left a review just because their friend wanted to read it(which is also very flattering to hear). So hurray to friendship!

ALSO (because one reviewer said something and tbh i just want to put this out there) HAHAHHAHAH I AM NOT 40. I AM SO NOT 40. I AM AN IMMATURE STILL-BARELY-IN-HIGH-SCHOOL ANGSTY TEENAGER.

and with that said, new chapter yay!

Cat didn't know how long she had been sitting on that metal chair. Luckily, she was a pro daydreamer. Her ADHD made her imagination run wild. Her thoughts strayed from Oscar to meeting Tony freaking Stark to why butter on toast was such an appealing combination. There were probably more useful subjects to think about in her situation, but it was hard to be scared and bored at the same time.

Her thoughts circled back to Natasha, and their conversation in the car. Cat had never seen Natasha lose her cool like that. She'd always been so distant and composed, hardly showing any true emotion. Cat knew Amused Nat and Annoyed Nat and Disinterested Nat and Sarcastic Nat, but she had never seen Angry Nat.

She hoped that rescue would arrive soon. The thought made hope flare inside of her, but it was dulled by the knowledge of what was to come. The only reason there was a rescue in the first place was because it had all been part of Oscar's plan. The deal she'd made with him was as overbearing as a vulture, crowding her mind and taking over the majority of her head space. She couldn't think about Natasha or safety without thinking of betraying them.

Duffy's growly voice jerked her out of her own musings. "They're here."

The four of them stilled. There was no question who they were. Off in the distance, Cat heard yelling, crashes, and explosions.

"Quick," Muffy said to Duffy, "take the blanket off."

Duffy did as he was told, stashing the blanket in one of the corners of the room.

"And for the love of god," Cat said, "act less guard-like and more captor-like. No one's going to believe you were torturing me if you keep standing all stiff like that."

Before Duffy could respond, the wall to Cat's left exploded. Pieces of wall flew in every which way. Smoke from the explosion was filling up the side of the room. Cat ducked her head, struggling against her bindings. Miraculously, she wasn't hurt by the explosion. All three guards ran back from the wall, firing at the smoke. A hovering metal-plated red and gold figure emerged from it.

"Ah! Bad guys!" the voice of Tony Stark greeted. "Hello and goodbye."

He raised his palm towards them, the repulsor's energy blast powering up. Fluffy, Muffy, and Duffy started running. The repulsor fired three times, and the three guards collapsed to the ground. Cat was reminded of how Rob Martinez fell to the ground in a similar fashion. Her eyes found his unmoving body, lying next to Fluffy among the wreckage.

"Found her," Iron Man said, presumably speaking to the team through comms. "There were three guards. Meet me at the entrance." He ripped off Cat's bindings and freed her from the chair. "Hey, kid," he greeted conversationally. "Kidnappers treat you well?"

"Like a queen," Cat said, trying to hide how relieved she was to see a familiar face. She flexed her good wrist, which was sore as hell. The entire left side of her body ached from being slammed into the inside of the truck. Her head still hurt— the blood at her temple had dried, but she imagined it wasn't the prettiest sight. Her legs felt like jelly. She tried to take a step, but she was wobbly.

"Whoa there, Turbo," Stark said, stopping her. "How do you feel?"

"Peachy."

"Uh-huh," he said.

"Don't believe me?"

"Oh, a hundred percent. But just to be safe... FRIDAY, full body scan." He paused, listening to his AI inside the suit. "Good news is, you'll be fine. You got a couple of cuts and bruises and a very tiny concussion. Ooh. Also, black eye. Don't try anything crazy, though."

"Yeah, because I was planning on dancing a jig." Cat found herself looking back at the three guards on the ground.

Iron Man glanced at them. "So who are they?"

"Kidnappers, I guess. We didn't do icebreakers." Cat hesitated, not sure if she wanted to know the answer to her next question. "Did you kill them?"

"Just knocked them out. Unfortunately, we still need to interrogate these dirtbags. After I bring you back to the Quinjet, we'll come back for them. You ready?"

"Wait," Cat said, remembering. "We need to bring Rob back."

"Who's Rob?"

"He's over there." Cat crossed over to kneel beside Rob's limp body. "Rob Martinez. He has a wife and three kids. We need to bring him back so his family can bury him."

"Jesus," Iron Man muttered. "How did he…"

"They shot him."

"Do you remember why?" Iron Man asked. His tone had changed. It was no longer joking. It had become softer, more gentle, like he was coaxing a wounded animal to come closer.

Cat hesitated again. "I… no. It's all kind of fuzzy."

Too late, she remembered that she was supposed to have an excellent memory. Luckily, Stark didn't seem to know this.

Iron Man nodded. "That's okay," he said grimly. "We'll talk about it later. Let's just get you over to the Quinjet first."

"Take Rob first," Cat said.

"We'll come back for him later."

"No," Cat said firmly. She didn't know why this was so important to her. She had to be one hundred percent sure that Rob was going to come back with them. "Take him first. I'll be here."

He was silent for a beat. "Nat was right. You are stubborn."

"Yeah."

Cat didn't expect him to understand, but to her surprise, he agreed. "Fine, I'll take the dead guy first. Be back in a jiff."

Flying was easily the best thing that had happened to Cat. She wasn't really flying, of course. Iron Man was carrying her as he flew towards the Quinjet, and they weren't even that high. Still, it was nothing like she'd ever experienced. Riding a motorcycle or sitting in an airplane didn't compare. It was a bit like being strapped in a roller coaster, except she wasn't restrained by seat belts and her trust in Iron Man's flying capabilities was the only thing that kept her from splattering onto the ground.

"Hey, can we do this again?" Cat called to Iron Man as they soared over the warehouse.

"Try not to get kidnapped again," came his response, "and the answer's a definite maybe."

They started to descend when Cat saw a large black jet at the entrance of the warehouse. When Stark set Cat down on the ground, she spotted Nat immediately. Standing with Steve next to the Quinjet, still decked out in Black Widow gear. A rush of relief flooded Cat, nearly making her knees give out.

Seeing her at once, Nat rushed to them. She knelt down so that they were on eye level and gripped Cat's shoulders, steadying her. Cat searched her face for any remaining traces of anger, but her confusion intensified when she found that it had been replaced with only worry. The first thing she asked was, "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Cat said, but Nat didn't seem to be looking for an answer. She took her chin and moved it from side to side, cataloguing the blood on her forehead and the black eye with concern. Cat tried for an exasperated tone, attempting to lighten the mood. "Why do you bother asking if you're just gonna—"

"You're bleeding," Nat murmured, touching the place where Cat had been clocked over the head by the gun.

Cat brushed it off. "Yeah, it doesn't hurt."

Still treating Cat like she was made of glass, Natasha asked, "Stark?"

"Bruising on her entire left side, black eye, minor concussion," Stark reported. "We can have medical treat her in the Quinjet." He looked between the two of them, sensing that they needed a moment alone. "Meet you inside."

Natasha nodded to him gratefully, something passing between their eyes as Stark headed towards Steve and disappeared into the jet.

"I'm really fine," Cat said after he left.

"I'm glad," Natasha said quietly. Cat was taken aback, not knowing how to respond to this new, sincere Natasha. Luckily, she didn't have to. "I shouldn't have left the safehouse so unprotected. That one's on me."

Whatever Cat had been expecting, it wasn't an apology. "That's so stupid," Cat said adamantly. She knew, with complete and utter certainty, that this situation was not Natasha's fault. "No, I'm the one who made this whole problem in the first place by sneaking into your car." Cat let a few seconds of silence pass by. "I'm sorry for being such an idiot, Nat."

"I know."

"You know that I'm sorry or you know that I'm an idiot?"

"Both."

Unexpectedly, Nat enveloped her in a tight hug. Her arms swiftly wrapped themselves around Cat's shoulders, pulling her in towards her until Cat's chin was resting on top of Nat's shoulder. It happened so quickly that Cat didn't have much time to react or pull away. The sudden contact felt alien and unfamiliar, but strangely comforting. She fought it for a couple of seconds, stiff and unresponsive, before she relaxed into it. Her arms came up to hold onto Nat's shoulders, welcoming the warmth that embraced her cold body.

"I didn't know we hugged," Cat said, her voice muffled by Natasha's shoulder.

"Deal with it. You scared me half to death."

Cat didn't know what to do with that information. "Does this mean you're not still mad at me?"

"Do I look mad to you?" Natasha asked. Cat couldn't see her face, but she could hear the smile in her voice. "However, we are going to have a conversation about sneaking into unfamiliar vehicles later. And skipping school. But mostly," she added, "I'm glad you're still in one piece."

"Thanks for coming to rescue me."

"Idiot," Nat muttered in Russian. "Did you really think I wouldn't?"

"I don't know," Cat said honestly. "Maybe."

Natasha whispered another word in Russian. Cat didn't know this one, but she didn't have the energy to ask about what it was. She had no doubt it was another insult.

They stayed like that for several moments, arms wrapped around each other. Cat felt a warmth rivaling the biting cold inside her chest, tremendously glad that Natasha wasn't mad at her. Would Natasha feel the same way towards her when she found out that Cat betrayed her? She thought about Oscar, and Rob Martinez, and the many other people who might be killed if Cat didn't follow orders.

But this wasn't the time to think about any of that. Instead, she pushed the unwelcome thoughts away and focused on how safe she felt at that moment.

"This is a long hug," Cat commented, breaking the silence.

"You're the one not letting go."

Cat realized that this was true. Her arms were wrapped around Natasha's neck like a koala, clinging to her for warmth. "Yeah, I'm fucking freezing."

"Language," Natasha said, although her tone was low and amused. "We should head back so you don't get hypothermia."

"Pro'bly for the best," Cat slurred, realizing how tired she was. The adrenaline was long gone, and she hadn't had caffeine in more than twelve hours, leaving her a slumping puddle of hanging limbs. "D'you think they're all watching us from inside?"

"Most likely."

As they trudged towards the Quinjet, Cat felt her eyelids get heavy. Once they boarded, she didn't fight the urge to close them, letting sleep carry her off to a dark, quiet place in the far-off distance.

Cat woke up in her own bed, surrounded by familiar smells. Buried under her covers, surrounded by the four walls of her room, pristine and undecorated, she felt safer than ever.

She was a little disappointed to not have seen the inside of the Quinjet, or talk to any of the Avengers. But the important thing was, she was safe and well-rested. She tugged herself to a sitting position and checked the time. Well, maybe not well-rested. It was still early in the morning, so she'd probably only gotten a few hours of sleep. She was shocked to discover that only a day had passed since her plan to skip school had been launched.

Cat fell back into bed, shutting her eyes, determined to fall back asleep. After five minutes of tossing and turning, she reluctantly accepted that falling asleep wouldn't be an option anytime soon. She laid awake in bed, her mind was racing. The same topics came to mind. Oscar, the deal, Rob Martinez…

Rob Martinez! Cat realized with a start. Where was he? Had they found his family? She barreled out of bed, wincing as the bruises and sore limbs protested in pain. She felt around in the dark, fumbling like a blind person, until her fingers brushed over the lamp on her desk. She flicked it on, light flooding her room. Squinting and covering her eyes, Cat managed to get out her chem notebook and a pen.

She needed to make a list. She flipped to a clean page and positioned her pen on the top of the lined paper. She froze, unsure of what to write. She settled for writing the date, and the words that followed were: A lot of fucked-up things that need fixing. Under, she wrote: by Cat Gray. Credit was due where it was due, after all.

One: Rob Martinez. Find out what happened to him. (Talk to Nat? Or Stark?) Then get him back to his family.

Two: Oscar. Punch him in his smug face. But first, pretend to be on his side. He wants me to get closer to the Avengers. But why? What does he want? (To destroy the Avengers?) Then… tell someone? Destroy him? How?

Cat frowned. It was becoming too messy, more of a journal of her musings than a detailed plan. She turned over to a second page, dating it as well as labeling it A Multi-Step Plan To Finally Punch Oscar In His Smug Face | Version 1.0 | By Cat Gray

Step one: make a plan.

She paused, frowning. She crossed it out.

Step one: Get closer to the Avengers (what Oscar wants)

Step two: Follow his new instructions and pretend to be on his side

Step three: Figure out why/how he knows so much about me

Step four: Figure out who he is and what he wants

Step five: ?

Cat put her pen down, frustrated. She had gotten her nowhere. But now, she at least had some semblance of structure to follow. Oscar had asked her one simple thing: to get closer to the Avengers. She didn't have much to go off of. The only thing she could do was wait and see what new instruction he left for her next.

Sighing, she turned off the light and headed to the bathroom. She needed a shower. She wrapped up her cast in a plastic bag, like the nurse had told her to, and turned the water on.

After going through the motions of washing her hair, Cat stood in the shower for a long time, letting the water run down her skin as her thoughts drifted. She routinely found herself taking long showers, usually because she got distracted and forgot to get out. Plus, the water pressure in Nat's apartment was amazing.

When she did get out, she felt fresh and more awake than ever. She wiped the fogged-up mirror, studying her face in it. She looked about as good as she felt. Her eyes had noticeable bags from lack of sleep. Her left eye was still dark and puffy. Her forehead had been wiped clean of blood, but Cat could see the small cut at her hairline. She lifted her shirt, running her fingers lightly over the mottled bruises on her left side.

Suddenly, Cat didn't want to stare at herself anymore. Coffee is the solution, she thought.

Her plans of sneaking into the kitchen undisturbed fell apart instantly when she opened her door and realized that the lights were on. Too late, she froze, the creak of the door giving her away.

Natasha's voice rang through the empty apartment. "Trouble sleeping?"

The whisper of Cat's feet on the carpet felt loud in the stillness of the morning. She made her way in the kitchen, where there was a pot of coffee on the table. Natasha was leaning against the stove, looking at Cat like she'd been expecting her. She was out of her leather catsuit, instead opting for a worn gray shirt and yoga pants. Cat noticed that there was one mug in Natasha's hand and an empty one at the table. The woman was a goddamn mind reader.

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"I'm… sleepwalking," Cat tried. It was a long shot.

"With your eyes open," Natasha said dryly.

"It happens."

"Coffee?"

"I thought you hated my drinking habits."

"Looks like you need it."

Cat pointed at the mug of coffee in Natasha's hand. "Can I have that?"

Wordlessly, Natasha handed it to her, then poured herself another cup. She sat at the table, looking at Cat expectantly.

Cat slid into the seat. "How's Rob Martinez?" When her question was met with a wrinkled brow, she elaborated. "The dead guy."

"Still dead," Nat said helpfully.

"Has his body been returned to his family?"

"Stark said he'd make sure of it." Natasha studied Cat, who had yet to make eye contact. "Did he die in front of you?"

"Yeah," she said softly.

"Stark said you didn't remember much."

They both knew what a big fat lie that was. Natasha didn't seem to be looking for an admission, but Cat gave it to her anyway. "I lied."

"You want to talk about it?"

Cat shrugged. "What's there to talk about?"

Fully aware that she was under the full scrutiny of Natasha's gaze, Cat still refused to make eye contact. She knew if she looked up, she'd only find concern. Maybe pity. The attention made her feel itchy and hot and uncomfortable in ways she couldn't explain. It was… more than weird, having someone who cared about her and wanted to 'talk about it' with her.

But most of all, she didn't want to lie to Natasha. The woman was a professional lie detector, and if there was anything Cat had learned over the years, it was that she was better at avoiding than lying. Cat felt like the second she made eye contact, the truth would just come spewing out. Instead, she kept her eyes on her coffee as she drank.

"You might want to slow down there," Natasha said, still eyeing her from the rim of her cup.

Cat swallowed the last mouthful, placing down the cup. "Thanks for the coffee."

Natasha kept staring at her.

"What?"

Her words were painstakingly careful. "It was a… traumatic experience," Nat said slowly. "Believe me, I've had my share of them."

Cat saw where this was going. "C'mon. Can we just skip the heart-to-heart? Or at least skim over it really quickly?"

Nat continued like she hadn't spoken. "Getting caught up in all this, being taken hostage from a place you thought was safe, being hurt, none of that is easy. I thought I was protecting you by taking you in, but maybe it's just placing you in more danger. I understand if you want to change your living situation..."

"And be back in the system?" Cat asked sharply. "No way. I'd rather stay here than go back living in a group home. Or a foster home. You don't get what it's like there. It's just… There's no freedom. And foster parents hate me." She hesitated, glancing down at her hands. "And you know, I kind of like living here. But if you'd rather that I go…"

"Of course not," Natasha said, no hesitation. "If it's what you want, stay."

"I'm sure. Definitely, one hundred percent sure."

"And…"

"Oh god, there's more?"

Natasha threw her an annoyed look. "We're having a heart-to-heart whether you like it or not, so shut up."

Cat rolled her eyes.

Natasha took a few moments to regain her rhythm. "I know you like to pretend to be tough. But bottling your emotions, keeping everything inside, that's not tough. It can be healing to talk about it. And you've already been through hell. If you don't talk about it, the negative emotions will keep piling up until you explode."

"Like that time when Steve microwaved a burrito for too long without putting a cover on it," Cat contributed.

It was Natasha's turn to roll her eyes. "Missing the point, but yes."

Cat tilted her head at her. "Basically, you're not asking. You're telling me I need to talk about it."

Nat didn't correct her. "If you would rather not talk to me, I know someone—"

"I don't need a therapist."

"Your parents died, right in front of you." Her tone had grown hard and unforgiving. "Your uncle abused you for months. You lived on the streets in awful conditions. You've been mugged and kidnapped and beat up. You're traumatized."

Cat stared at the pot of coffee. "That's not… I'm not… Look, when you put it like that it doesn't sound great, but I'm fine, okay?"

"You're not fine," Nat said firmly. "And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you can get your shit together."

"Wow," Cat said. "Way to be subtle."

"I tried it the subtle way. It didn't work. You need to hear this outright. Talk to me, Cat. You'll have to talk to someone eventually, anyway."

"Like a therapist?"

"Like an interrogator."

"Maybe I should just go live in a group home."

Natasha said nothing.

The silence got to Cat, just like it always did. "Okay, fine. I'll talk about it. Where do we start?"

"You start by telling me what happened in that warehouse."

Cat started slowly, her words unsure and halting. Most of it was the truth, although she guessed she was technically lying by omission. In between, she paused to think about what to leave out and what to include, letting Natasha think that the memory was too painful to express. She told Natasha that the unknown kidnappers had dragged her to a room, blindfolding her. They struck her across the face when she fought back. They tied her to that table in the warehouse and left three guards to guard her. And later, the Avengers rescued her.

"It wasn't horrible," Cat finished. "I was pretty scared during the whole kidnapping process, and when they were roughing me up. But they weren't going to kill me. And most of it was just sitting around."

"And the dead guy?" Nat pressed.

Right. Rob. How was she going to explain that?

"They wanted information on you and the Avengers," Cat said, which was partly the truth. "I wouldn't give it to them, so they brought in Rob. They said they'd kill him if I didn't say anything. Then…" She shuddered.

Natasha placed a hand on her forearm and squeezed lightly, still raking her with an intense green-eyed stare.

"I… the guy started counting down. Too fast. Then… bam." Cat squeezed her hands together. "It's all…" My fault. She couldn't bring herself to say the words. She knew that if she did, Natasha would reassure her that it wasn't. "Horrible," she finished lamely.

"It's not your fault," Natasha said, reading her mind.

"Don't."

"Don't what?" Natasha asked sharply. "Say the truth? It's not your fault, Cat. You were in an impossible situation. They would've killed him anyway."

"You don't know that."

"Listen to me. It's. Not. Your. Fault. I want to hear you say it." Natasha waited.

"Do I have to?"

"Say it."

Cat heaved a sigh. "Okay. It's not my fault."

"Say it like you mean it."

"It's not my fault." Cat raised her eyebrows at her. Happy now? "God. I feel like I'm at summer camp."

"Better. Let me grill it in your brain. You didn't pull the trigger. You had no control over the situation. You're a kid. You did not cause that man to die. And if you keep thinking otherwise, the guilt will kill you. I promise you that."

Cat looked up at her, remembering something. She wasn't able to stop herself from saying, "Have you…" Murdered people? Regretted it? Cat knew the answer to the question, but she couldn't combine the Natasha sitting in front of her with the coldhearted assassin that may have once sat in her place.

Natasha glanced away, reading her mind yet again. "Of course," she said quietly. "I've done things I'll never forgive myself for."

Cat couldn't think of what to say. "You were young."

"Yes, and so are you." She smiled wryly, a kind of smile without humor, only edges. "The thing that separates us is that I have reason for my guilt. You do not."

"I'm not scared of you," Cat said suddenly, something she didn't even know she was going to say until she said it. It seemed ridiculous; of course she wasn't scared of Nat. But it seemed like she needed to hear it. "If you were some scary assassin killing left and right, I would be scared of you. Maybe. Probably. But the point is, I'm not. You're not the same person you were. So don't feel guilty."

Natasha smiled. A real smile, this time. "I knew I was right to like you."

Cat smirked. "So you finally admit it."

"Don't get an inflated ego. My judgement is questionable at best." Nat paused. "And I'm glad you told me about Rob and the kidnappers."

"It's not like you gave me much choice in the matter."

"As I recall, I gave you two choices."

"Are you going to make me talk about my other life traumas as well?"

"When you're ready to tell me."

A comfortable silence stretched between them.

"So, is this the part where we hug again?" Cat asked, one corner of her mouth twisting up.

To her surprise, Natasha said, "If you'd like."

"One was plenty," Cat decided, but didn't make a move to stop her as Natasha slowly scooted her chair closer to hers. She pretended not to notice as Natasha curled an arm behind her shoulders, pulling her in for an awkward side-hug. Finally, she gave in with a small exhale, leaning her head on her shoulder.

"Is this going to become a regular occurrence?"

"Don't get too used to it."

Hope you enjoyed that little heart-to-heart. I was trying not to make Nat too much of a sap, but who knows. Tell me in the reviews how you liked it!

I'm planning on spanning the oscar timeline over multiple chapters, but there will be lots of filler in between because obviously not all the action will happen at once.

Okay and also poll: would you rather...

a) have oneshot-style scenes mainly focusing on cat and nat and cat's school life (social worker drama, trevor storyline, parent teacher conference, school play)

orrr

b) have cat meet more avengers (and if so, who?) Just an idea: I'm planning on having cat and tony and peter all together in a chapter one day. Maybe tony picks peter up but also sees her talking to peter. Maybe cat's hanging out at the lab with tony and sees peter there. idk.

another question. do any of you actually read these dry long boring author's notes? just curious.

And lastly, thanks to all the reviewers: LilBoiaSenpai, liv, smh204, , salty milkshake, GuestINeedNewNam, NoobMaster69, acompletenerd, Amir-015, Beachgirl25, Kerfluffle, purpleglowstick, Guest, kash509, OrangePumpkin, yay, CookieWorkout, Agent-of-SPOOF, M, Impatient, and amy! Love u all very much. You guys make my I-really-don't-wanna-go-back-to-school breakdown way more bearable.

Responses to guest reviews:

liv: thanks for leaving another review! i love cat's smartass responses too! yes... cat's memory is inhuman but she's not a superhuman, just really smart. I don't want to promise an aos crossover bc i don't think my limited knowledge could do the show justice. but I COULD do some guest appearances from daisy or coulson or may..

GuestINeedNewNam: ngl, i seriously love you. your reviews are the best and i always look forward to reading them! Thank you for your kind and thoughtful feedback. As for your predictions... you'll have to see (winky face). You did give me some good ideas, though... But yeah no I don't think a physical fight will happen. BUT NO PROMISES. Heyyy ours ends jan 4th too! Sucks. I really tried to get this done as quick as I could, hope it was fast enough!

NoobMaster69: yep oscar's an asshole. hate him, love writing him. thank you so much for asking your friends to review, you totally didn't have to do that but that is really so nice of you. it did motivate me to update! thank you!

Kerfluffle: thanks for reviewing again! I meant that Steve looks much younger than Tony, who I think is in his 40s/50s/idk. I AM DOING WELL THANKS FOR ASKING. :D

Guest: thanks! very true, many people react differently to trauma.

OrangePumpkin: YES! that's exactly what i was going for. a not-too-sappy, tough, yet sorta has a soft spot nat. cat's arm is still broken, i'm just not doing a good job of showing it. thanks for reviewing!

yay: once again, I repeat myself. you are so nice. anyway, i don't even know if you'll continue to read or if you'll see this. tbh i'm not even a huge ff reader, i just like to write stuff about marvel movies. completely agree with wanda (altho i prefer black widow), she's so badass.

CookieWorkout: Aww, I'm sorry you were ill, hope you're feeling better now :))) Thanks for reviewing anyway, I appreciate it. The organization... I'm not sure. Maybe hydra? Maybe another one? We'll see what's best for the plot.

M: thanks for reviewing! the ways of oscar are mysterious indeed...

Impatient: your wish is my command... another update has arrived

amy: yes, i'm planning on cat telling someone in the future. it'll get better, i promise