Chapter 8

After spending some time playing cards with Peter, Bruce came in and suggested that Peter get some rest. So Annika gave him one final hug and promised to come visit the next day before making her way back to her room. After she got ready for bed she decided to flip through the channels and find something to watch, but her mind started to wonder and eventually she felt herself getting more and more frustrated at the events of that day. If what Peter said was true, that they all believed she was strong, but were afraid of what she could do, why not have her train with them so she knew how to control her power? Why act like she wasn't part super? She finally decided it was time to confront her dad. She went out into their living room and found him asleep on the couch. She knew he must have been truly exhausted to pass out like that.

"Dad" she said shaking his shoulder to try not to frighten him. He jumped a little before realizing it was Annika.

"Hey sweetie. Sorry, I didn't realize I had fallen asleep"

"It's okay. You must be extra tired, it's not like you to fall asleep out here"

"Yea, it was a long day"

"Can we talk?"

He immediately seemed to wake up and straightened himself and moved over to make space for her "Of course, is everything okay?"

"Dad…Peter told me that you all think that I am powerful but that you're afraid of what I might be capable of…is that true?"

Her dad took a minute before responding. He was a bit miffed at Peter for saying that because it wasn't his place, but at the same time, she needed to know. She was getting too old to continue to treat her like a child. "Anna, first off, we're not afraid of you. We love you, and you are by far the least scary person with powers in this place by a long shot."

"Dad…"

"Anna…" He ran his hands through his hair trying to search for the right words to say. "It's me, I'm the one whose afraid. I don't want to ever put you in harms way if I can help it, and it scares the living daylights out of me that you are constantly seeking out opportunities to do just that"

"Because it's a part of who I am! I am half super soldier, remember?"

"Believe me, I know that all too well."

"Then why not let me train so that i can defend myself"

"Because this isn't the life I want for you! I want you to be able to live a life without having to worry about aliens, or threats to the universe, I want you to be able to be a normal teenager."

"But I'm not a normal teenager. Look around dad! We live in a freaking compound with ever gadget known and unknown to man that is also crawling with super heroes. Even if I wasn't half super soldier, I wouldn't be anywhere close to having a normal teenage existence."

"I guess you have a point" he said wrapping his arm around Annika's shoulder and pulling her in close. They laid there on the couch cuddled up together for a few minutes before Steve finally decided to talk again.

"I know that your growing up is far from any kind of normal, I just really you hoped that, in-spite of that, I could keep the rest of your teenage experience as grounded as possible before you had to grow and face the realities of the real world."

"Dad, you can't protect me forever"

"I know…I know…"

Annika finally sat up and looked at her dad. "I have an idea"

"Alright, shoot"

"Let Aunt Nat train me so I can start learning how to defend myself so that way if something ever were to happen, I'd be able to hold my own and not be completely defenseless"

"Alright, but if I let you do this, you aren't allowed to go out looking for reasons to use this, you got it? You're not allowed to go out into the field till I say so"

"Can we at least agree that I can start going out after I graduate?"

"We can start considering letting you train with the Avengers only AFTER you graduate. From there we'll see if it's a good idea or not."

"Dad…"

"Take it or leave it kid. I told you, I'm not going to purposefully put you in harms way if I don't have to."

"Dad!"

"BUT…I do agree that it would be a good idea for you to be able to defend yourself. Let's start there and see where things go. You still have two years before graduation, we have time"

"Fine, but I want to come back to this later."

"That's fine, we can keep an open dialogue, deal?"

Annika thought about it before putting out her hand to shake on it "Deal"

"Good" Steve said shaking her outstretched hand. "Now we should both get to bed, it's been a long day and you have school tomorrow"

"Ugh, don't remind me, I have a chemistry test during third hour that I'm not looking forward to"

"Even more reason to get some rest, you need to be sure that your running on all cylinders for that test"

"Ha ha ha" Annika said rolling her eyes before Steve offered her a hand to help pull her up off the couch. Once she took it he helped her up and then quickly pulled her into a hug.

"I love you Anna"

"I love you too Dad"

"Just be patient with me, I'm learning how to parent a teenager at the same time you're learning how to be one"

"I'll try my best"

"That's all I can ask" And with that he kissed the top of her head before putting his arm around her shoulder and leading her toward her room.

The next morning Annika woke up feeling more optimistic about her day. Being able to have that conversation with her dad the night before had given her hope that maybe one day she would actually get to be apart of the fight instead of the one being protected from it. Although she didn't get everything she wanted in their little negotiation, she was content to start with training with Nat. And, since the dialogue was still open, she hoped that once her dad saw what she could do, he would consider letting her in on the action a little before graduation.

Peter was still recovering so she was going to school by herself again today. She waited by the gate when one of Tony's cars came screeching to a halt next to her.

"Does your dad know you're out here without supervision?"

"Ha ha, very funny Tony"

"Wanna ride? I know I'm annoying, but I'm sure I beat the kids on that bus"

"Why not" she said as she walked around and hopped in the passenger seat. Tony took off around the corner before she even had her seat belt on. "Okay fast and furious, at least let me get a seat belt on before you kill me"

"Oh come on, live a little"

"Remember, that's against the rules"

"Oh come on, don't be like that"

"I did get him to agree to let me train with Aunt Nat"

"Well there ya go. Come on kid, give him a break. We have all seen a lot of things while we're out on missions. You can't fault us from wanting to protect you from the worst of the worst."

"I get it Tony, but you let Peter go out"

"First of all, Pete was out doing things before I met him. Second, it's rare that I let him actually participate in anything life threatening. We have an agreement, he's the friendly neighborhood Spiderman unless he's with me, and even then, he's gotta play by the rules"

"So what happened yesterday?"

"Peter was ambushed, and if I could have traded places with him, I would of. That little incident is also gonna make me think twice before I bring him into a situation with the Avengers again, much less his normal neighborhood gig."

"I guess that's fair"

"It's more than fair, He won't be doing much of anything for the foreseeable future, I can promise you that. Yesterday is the perfect example of what your dad is trying to keep you from, there are things outside of our control that can come out of nowhere"

"I know…I know…"

"Anna, we all care about you. I know that, when you're dad leaves, you feel alone. But I want you to know that, God forbid the worst happens…"

"I know Tony…thanks"

"I know I don't show this side a lot, but I love you kid, and if anything happened to you or Peter, i wouldn't be able to forgive myself"

"I know, I love you too Uncle Tony"

"You only get away with that when we have these types of moments"

"I know, getting called Uncle makes you feel old"

"and I'm not old, I'm well aged"

"Whatever you need to feel good about yourself Tony"

"Well lookie here, you're at school. BYE!"

Annika laughed before hopping out, but before she shut the door she quickly looked back for one final remark "By UNCLE TONY" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she shut the door. Tony rolled his eyes and sped away. That girl held a special place in his heart, wither he was always willing to admit it or not.

Anytime that Peter was gone for the day she would get questions from her classmates and teachers. It was well known that they both lived in the Avengers compound and that, for all intents and purposes, were basically brother and sister. What no one actually knew, was that Peter was actually Spider-Man, so when he came back with bumps and bruises, they had to get really creative. At one point there was talk of having Peter join a boxing club so then any black eyes or ton muscles could point back to that. Typically the go to story was that he was doing some promotional tour for the Avengers program as am ambassador and that he would be back in a few days. Sometimes Anna and Peter were both lucky enough to do things like the USO tours or other promotional gigs with the Avengers, but those were not very frequent.

The day went on and she was able to pass her chem test by the skin of her teeth which helped the rest of the day fly by. Before she realized it, she was headed to the busses and head for a chill night at home.

"Hey Stranger" came a voice from behind her. She turned to see Nat standing in the doorway she had just come through.

"NAT!" She screamed before running into her arms. It had been a long time since she had gotten to see Nat not in mission ready mode. "What are you doing here?"

"You didn't think I'd let you ride the bus home along when we could have some girl time did you?"

"I didn't even know you were back! I'm so excited!" They immediately started chatting as Nat walked her to her car.

"So did dad tell you that he agreed to let you train me?"

"He did. I think it's good for you. But don't think i'm going to take it easy on you"

"I wouldn't expect any less. I'm so excited! Can you teach me how to do a back flip?"

"Of course, but first we have to get you into shape. Let's start with some cardio and weight training today and go from there"

"Sounds good! I'll go get my workout clothes on as soon as we get back to the compound! Oh, is it okay if I stop by and say hi to Peter first?"

"Sure kid. Heard he got ambushed the other day"

"Yea, he didn't look to good. Tony took me to school this morning and said that Peter won't be doing any Spider-Man stuff for a while"

"Good, he needs time to heal. Once he's up and moving, he should start training with us. He could use the refresh anyway"

"I'll tell him! Hopefully that will give him something to look forward to once he is back up and moving here in the next few days. Helps that his spidy powers help him heal fast"

"It does, but it doesn't make it hurt any less"

"I know Nat. Dad was very clear that training with you is just that, training"

"You'll get there kid. But let's make sure you know what to do when the time comes"

"Thanks Aunt Nat" She said as they pulled up to the compound.

"You're welcome, see you on the training floor in 30 minutes"

"Sounds good!" And with that she jumped out of the car and was on her way to get changed and see Peter.