p style="text-align: justify;"strongDISCLAIMER: I only own Melanie and any other OCs that appear. /strong/p
p style="text-align: justify;" /p
p style="text-align: justify;"emPeter's POV. /em/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Peter, how do you know her?" Steve asked./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Yeah, how do you know my name?" Melanie added, she'd grown so much but I still recognised her./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Melanie,"I began, "Do you remember? there was a boy who escaped?"/p
p style="text-align: justify;"Melanie nodded, "Kind of... he was a little older than me."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""That was me, Melanie."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Peter what? were you part of this program?"/p
p style="text-align: justify;""sadly, yes. not for long though, Aunt Peggy showed up and rescued me. but the spider sunk its fangs into me on the way out."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Does Tony know about this?" Steve looked simultaneously shocked and like he wanted to beat up every single HYDRA agent that had dared lay a finger on me. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""No. He was in Afghanistan at the time. and with all the stuff that's happened since. I haven't found the right moment to tell him exactly how i got my powers." I explained. "Now go get fixed before you bleed out on me."br / /p
p style="text-align: justify;""Fine..." Steve sighed, "But the three of us are gonna talk about this later."/p
p style="text-align: justify;"Steve left, and I sat down on the side of the bed./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Peter?" Melanie asked./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Yeah Squirt?"/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Can I trust them?"/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Who? The Avengers? Sure you can, they want to help you." I replied, Melanie wasn't as lucky as I was, she'd spent the last eight years in that program, brainwashed into being terrified of the Avengers./p
p style="text-align: justify;""How do you know?" The small girl looked at me./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Hmmm, how do I know? Well considering the fact that Iron man is my dad and Captain America`s gonna be my step-dad..." I smiled at the wide-eyed look on Melanie`s face./p
p style="text-align: justify;"A nurse brought Melanie a Menu and asked what she would like to eat. The Girl looked at the Menu and shrugged./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Here, let me help you," I said, peering at the options, "how about the Macaroni?"/p
p style="text-align: justify;""I don't know what that is," Melanie whispered in my ear, "But yeah, okay."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""She`ll have the Macaroni," I said to the nurse, she smiled and took the menu./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Hey, you wanna see something cute?" I asked, pulling my phone out of my pocket./p
p style="text-align: justify;"Melanie gave a small nod/p
p style="text-align: justify;""we`ve got a cat at home, maybe you`ll meet her," I brought up a picture on my phone, "Her name`s Goose."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""She`s pretty," Melanie said, "I like her colour."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Dad says Female ginger cats are pretty rare. she`s kind of the Avengers mascot."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""She`s the trained attack cat," Melanie gasped, her eyes going wide in fear./p
p style="text-align: justify;""trained attack cat? Where`d you hear that one?" I asked, it was a closely guarded secret among the avengers that Goose was in fact a Flerken, a fierce Alien Creature that looks like a cat. If there was a leak and information was getting back to HYDRA, Dad would wanna know./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Don`t know how it started," Melanie shrugged, "but we were told if we escaped and went to the Avengers for help, We`d either be torn to shreds by the vicious attack cat or fed to the Hulk."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Okay, first thing, Hulk doesn't eat people," I informed, "Second, the worst thing Goose has ever shredded, was Dad`s $50,000 premium Italian leather couch."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Oh no."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Oh Yes, he could have killed her. she hid in my room for like two days," I recalled./p
p style="text-align: justify;"the food arrived about an hour later, Melanie looked at it and then looked at me/p
p style="text-align: justify;""It's okay," I assured, "It's not poisoned."/p
p style="text-align: justify;"Melanie picked up the fork and hesitantly took a bite, "Yum!" She exclaimed. she must have been starving as she quickly consumed the entire bowl./p
p style="text-align: justify;"My phone buzzed, I looked at it; it was a message from Dad./p
p style="text-align: center;"emstrongPete, Incoming HYDRA, Get the kid to safety/strong/em/p
p style="text-align: justify;"emstrongWhere r u?/strong/em I replied./p
p style="text-align: center;"emstrongWith Steve, We`re on our way./strong/em/p
p style="text-align: justify;"I quickly closed the messages so Melanie would`nt see it and get scared. I needed a plan, fast./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Hey Squirt, you've got sauce all over you, how about we go to the bathroom and clean you up?" I suggested./p
p style="text-align: justify;"Melanie nodded./p
p style="text-align: justify;"I helped her out of bed and we headed to the bathroom. Melanie didn`t even notice when I locked the door behind me./p
p style="text-align: justify;" /p
p style="text-align: justify;"I ran a washcloth under warm water and wiped Melanie's face and hands, being careful not to wet the bandage holding her IV in place. My Spidey sense told me when HYDRA were outside, we needed to stay quiet./p
p style="text-align: justify;"When they banged on the door, Melanie froze./p
p style="text-align: justify;""It's all right, i`ll protect you," I whispered, "get in the bathtub and stay down."/p
p style="text-align: justify;"Thankfully, she followed my instructions./p
p style="text-align: justify;"To reinforce the door, I shot a web across the room, sealing the lock. I then pushed everything I could find in the room up against the door./p
p style="text-align: justify;"My heart pounded in my chest as I perched gingerly on the edge of the tub, Melanie cowering behind me. I could hear the chaos outside and felt relief when the sound of Iron Man's pulse gauntlets joined the cacophony. the noise died down and despite my barricade, the door burst open./p
p style="text-align: justify;"reacting with the instinct to protect Melanie I shot my webs across the room, straight into Dad's face./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Geez Bud, it's just me."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""oops, sorry Dad,"I apologised/p
p style="text-align: justify;""No problem, it'll come off."/p
p style="text-align: justify;"I turned to Melanie, "It's okay now, they`re gone."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Peter I`m cold," Melanie replied, shivering./p
p style="text-align: justify;""We`ll get you back into bed," I reassured, helping her out of the tub and back into the hospital room./p
p style="text-align: justify;"As Steve helped Melanie into bed, I walked over to Dad, "Well, did you catch em?"/p
p style="text-align: justify;""One, the rest got away. Nat's with him now," Dad replied./p
p style="text-align: justify;""What will happen to her when she gets let out of here?" I asked, watching as Steve tucked Melanie in./p
p style="text-align: justify;""I don`t know buddy, I just don`t know."/p
p style="text-align: justify;" /p
p style="text-align: justify;"*****/p
p style="text-align: justify;" /p
p style="text-align: justify;"strongThoughts?/strong/p
p style="text-align: justify;" /p
p style="text-align: justify;"emPeter's POV. /em/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Peter, how do you know her?" Steve asked./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Yeah, how do you know my name?" Melanie added, she'd grown so much but I still recognised her./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Melanie,"I began, "Do you remember? there was a boy who escaped?"/p
p style="text-align: justify;"Melanie nodded, "Kind of... he was a little older than me."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""That was me, Melanie."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Peter what? were you part of this program?"/p
p style="text-align: justify;""sadly, yes. not for long though, Aunt Peggy showed up and rescued me. but the spider sunk its fangs into me on the way out."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Does Tony know about this?" Steve looked simultaneously shocked and like he wanted to beat up every single HYDRA agent that had dared lay a finger on me. /p
p style="text-align: justify;""No. He was in Afghanistan at the time. and with all the stuff that's happened since. I haven't found the right moment to tell him exactly how i got my powers." I explained. "Now go get fixed before you bleed out on me."br / /p
p style="text-align: justify;""Fine..." Steve sighed, "But the three of us are gonna talk about this later."/p
p style="text-align: justify;"Steve left, and I sat down on the side of the bed./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Peter?" Melanie asked./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Yeah Squirt?"/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Can I trust them?"/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Who? The Avengers? Sure you can, they want to help you." I replied, Melanie wasn't as lucky as I was, she'd spent the last eight years in that program, brainwashed into being terrified of the Avengers./p
p style="text-align: justify;""How do you know?" The small girl looked at me./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Hmmm, how do I know? Well considering the fact that Iron man is my dad and Captain America`s gonna be my step-dad..." I smiled at the wide-eyed look on Melanie`s face./p
p style="text-align: justify;"A nurse brought Melanie a Menu and asked what she would like to eat. The Girl looked at the Menu and shrugged./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Here, let me help you," I said, peering at the options, "how about the Macaroni?"/p
p style="text-align: justify;""I don't know what that is," Melanie whispered in my ear, "But yeah, okay."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""She`ll have the Macaroni," I said to the nurse, she smiled and took the menu./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Hey, you wanna see something cute?" I asked, pulling my phone out of my pocket./p
p style="text-align: justify;"Melanie gave a small nod/p
p style="text-align: justify;""we`ve got a cat at home, maybe you`ll meet her," I brought up a picture on my phone, "Her name`s Goose."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""She`s pretty," Melanie said, "I like her colour."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Dad says Female ginger cats are pretty rare. she`s kind of the Avengers mascot."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""She`s the trained attack cat," Melanie gasped, her eyes going wide in fear./p
p style="text-align: justify;""trained attack cat? Where`d you hear that one?" I asked, it was a closely guarded secret among the avengers that Goose was in fact a Flerken, a fierce Alien Creature that looks like a cat. If there was a leak and information was getting back to HYDRA, Dad would wanna know./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Don`t know how it started," Melanie shrugged, "but we were told if we escaped and went to the Avengers for help, We`d either be torn to shreds by the vicious attack cat or fed to the Hulk."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Okay, first thing, Hulk doesn't eat people," I informed, "Second, the worst thing Goose has ever shredded, was Dad`s $50,000 premium Italian leather couch."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Oh no."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Oh Yes, he could have killed her. she hid in my room for like two days," I recalled./p
p style="text-align: justify;"the food arrived about an hour later, Melanie looked at it and then looked at me/p
p style="text-align: justify;""It's okay," I assured, "It's not poisoned."/p
p style="text-align: justify;"Melanie picked up the fork and hesitantly took a bite, "Yum!" She exclaimed. she must have been starving as she quickly consumed the entire bowl./p
p style="text-align: justify;"My phone buzzed, I looked at it; it was a message from Dad./p
p style="text-align: center;"emstrongPete, Incoming HYDRA, Get the kid to safety/strong/em/p
p style="text-align: justify;"emstrongWhere r u?/strong/em I replied./p
p style="text-align: center;"emstrongWith Steve, We`re on our way./strong/em/p
p style="text-align: justify;"I quickly closed the messages so Melanie would`nt see it and get scared. I needed a plan, fast./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Hey Squirt, you've got sauce all over you, how about we go to the bathroom and clean you up?" I suggested./p
p style="text-align: justify;"Melanie nodded./p
p style="text-align: justify;"I helped her out of bed and we headed to the bathroom. Melanie didn`t even notice when I locked the door behind me./p
p style="text-align: justify;" /p
p style="text-align: justify;"I ran a washcloth under warm water and wiped Melanie's face and hands, being careful not to wet the bandage holding her IV in place. My Spidey sense told me when HYDRA were outside, we needed to stay quiet./p
p style="text-align: justify;"When they banged on the door, Melanie froze./p
p style="text-align: justify;""It's all right, i`ll protect you," I whispered, "get in the bathtub and stay down."/p
p style="text-align: justify;"Thankfully, she followed my instructions./p
p style="text-align: justify;"To reinforce the door, I shot a web across the room, sealing the lock. I then pushed everything I could find in the room up against the door./p
p style="text-align: justify;"My heart pounded in my chest as I perched gingerly on the edge of the tub, Melanie cowering behind me. I could hear the chaos outside and felt relief when the sound of Iron Man's pulse gauntlets joined the cacophony. the noise died down and despite my barricade, the door burst open./p
p style="text-align: justify;"reacting with the instinct to protect Melanie I shot my webs across the room, straight into Dad's face./p
p style="text-align: justify;""Geez Bud, it's just me."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""oops, sorry Dad,"I apologised/p
p style="text-align: justify;""No problem, it'll come off."/p
p style="text-align: justify;"I turned to Melanie, "It's okay now, they`re gone."/p
p style="text-align: justify;""Peter I`m cold," Melanie replied, shivering./p
p style="text-align: justify;""We`ll get you back into bed," I reassured, helping her out of the tub and back into the hospital room./p
p style="text-align: justify;"As Steve helped Melanie into bed, I walked over to Dad, "Well, did you catch em?"/p
p style="text-align: justify;""One, the rest got away. Nat's with him now," Dad replied./p
p style="text-align: justify;""What will happen to her when she gets let out of here?" I asked, watching as Steve tucked Melanie in./p
p style="text-align: justify;""I don`t know buddy, I just don`t know."/p
p style="text-align: justify;" /p
p style="text-align: justify;"*****/p
p style="text-align: justify;" /p
p style="text-align: justify;"strongThoughts?/strong/p