Author's Note: This chapter took me a bit longer to write because I was still trying to figure out when the Homecoming storyline was going to come in. I've now figured it out for sure. There will be one more chapter after this one and then Homecoming will start. So the chapter after next. I figured Homecoming probably takes place towards the beginning of the school year anyway. I always remembered my homecoming dances at my old high school taking place in late September or early October.
I know some of you don't understand why Emma hasn't figured out that Peter is Spider-Man yet but she's only known him for like a week. She knows that something definitely is up with him but she hadn't connected the dots yet. Emma knows that Peter's kind of weird but she's labeled him off as a separate mystery. She kind of takes a good long look at Peter and assesses everything about him before she does the same with Spider-Man. She just hasn't piece two and two together yet. All I can say is that she might stumble on a big clue next chapter... well, more than a big clue.
Thanks for all the reviews last chapter. I really appreciate them. I'm glad you like the Flash/Emma interactions so I hope this chapter won't be a disappointment. There will be quite a bit of humor in this chapter and I had a lot of fun writing that. Emma hasn't been given a lot of opportunities to be humorous in the past so now she finally has the opportunity to be a normal teenager and make semi inappropriate jokes. It's good for her. I'm also glad that you're liking Emma's growing friendship with Michelle so far.
Thanks and keep reviewing!
Also... I don't own the Eagles or any of their music. I just wanted to make that perfectly clear.
Emma's weekend had been fairly boring. She mostly just hung out in the lab at Culver University while Jane and Darcy worked. Emma wasn't that interested in whatever theory Jane was working on. She had smirked when she had seen Dr. Betty Samson walk by and Emma was instantly reminded of Ross. Darcy just rolled her eyes at her when she noticed Emma staring at Banner's former love interest. That girl really needed more friends. Emma was sure that Ross was keeping his promise to hold back on his search for Steve and the others. The government had yet to track any of them down. Emma was glad to hear that.
She was so wrapped in thoughts of what Steve and the others were that she was taken by surprise as she started her second week of school. When she returned to school the following Monday she hadn't been expecting anything beyond another boring week of school. However, she was wrong when she received an e-mail from Mr. Harringon, on her school e-mail account, giving her an invitation to join the decathlon team. Apparently he had checked out her test scores from last year and saw how she much she had aced each and every one of her tests. It made her the perfect candidate to join the decathlon team. Emma expressed her predicament with Michelle at lunch.
"I guess it would be cool if you joined the team." Michelle said casually as they ate lunch. "I mean it's pretty lame and all but at least it'll look good on college applications." Michelle told her and Emma raised an eyebrow at her.
"Wow… good way to sell me on it." She said sarcastically and the dark haired girl just smirked. Emma didn't really think she needed to join some squad of dorks so that it would look good on her college application. She probably wasn't going to go to college. As soon as Emma turned eighteen she was going to get out this place. She knew that Steve might be back before then but Emma wasn't going to rely on him. More than likely, Emma would have to go look for him and the others herself. Right now she lacked the resources and she was being strictly watched by Tony. When she was eighteen, however, Tony wouldn't be able to keep her there anymore.
"I tell it how it is." Michelle replied.
"Right… well, if this little club of yours is so lame, why would would I want to join?" Emma inquired.
"Like I said, it looks good on a college application." Michelle repeated and Emma just rolled her eyes.
"Well, I'm not going to college so that doesn't apply to me." Emma told her and Michelle just shrugged.
"You're not going to college?" Peter asked from down the table. He was staring at Emma in shock, seeming slightly horrified at the prospect of not going to college. Ned was watching her as well but he didn't seem as bothered by the idea as Peter. Emma narrowed her eyes at Peter. This kid had a way of making her incredibly suspicious.
"Nosy much, Parker?" Emma sneered and Peter shook his head.
"Well, I was just wondering what you were planning to do after graduation if you're not going to college." Peter said, causing Emma to sigh. She didn't know why he was so nosy all the time. Couldn't he mind his own business? Emma was kind of being a hypocrite when saying that since she basically analyzed every move he made but that was different. Parker stalking was just a hobby of hers while she was at school so she could escape boredom. There definitely was something up with him but Emma doubted it was as important to her as finding Spider-Man.
"Oh, I don't know. I was thinking about backpacking across South America… maybe getting eloped with a random guy in some sort of tribal ritual where blood and hallucinogenic drugs are involved." Emma described in heavy detail as she made up the most ridiculous story from the top of her head. "My husband and I would then move to Paris where I would be a starving artist and he would try his hand at making cheese but eventually he'd lose his way and become addicted to heroin. I would sell all of my art just to contribute to his heroin addiction, not because I was supportive but just because I hated to see him cry." Peter and Ned just stared at Emma in bewilderment as she told them what she thought her future looked like. She was satisfied to see that it shut them up. Maybe Peter wouldn't be so nosy next time. Michelle stifled a giggled as she glanced at Emma from over her book.
"I'm sorry about that, Emma." Michelle told her. "My husband Lionel, one of the most feared and notorious drug dealers on the face of the planet, supplied him with the heroin as you know. If I had known all the trouble it would cause, I would've never had gotten involved with him." Michelle told her seriously as if all of this stuff had already occurred. Emma nodded.
"I know, Michelle, and I forgive you. Sometimes we can't help who we fall in love with." Emma replied and Michelle nodded. Peter and Ned looked between the two girls as if the girls were completely insane. It was official, Peter thought to himself. He would never understand girls.
"Okay. putting aside whatever that was…" Peter trailed off, trying to steer the subject into a different direction. "I think the decathlon team could really use you, Emma. You know everything about history. All the dates and historical figures… we're really lacking that on the team." Peter told her, giving her a pleading look. Emma stared back at him, starting to feel very uncomfortable from the look he was giving her. What the hell was his intention? She stared into his warm brown eyes, suddenly feeling funny. Was she… Was she sick or something?
"Okay, fine. I'll go to your weird meeting." Peter, Ned, and even Michelle all seemed satisfied by her statement. "I'm not making any promises." She added. Peter grinned at her and Emma felt that funny feeling again. She just decided to dismiss it as something she had eaten. Maybe she was just sick or nauseous. Still… something in back of her head told her that it wasn't something she had eaten. Emma ignored those thoughts and decided to brood about the impending meeting with the decathlon team. She really wasn't looking forward to the meeting.
Emma didn't know what to expect when she arrived for the decathlon meeting. What she didn't expect was seeing a very excited Mr. Harrington who looked happy that Michelle had brought her. The older man with thick rimmed glasses smiled at her excitedly when she walked into the room. All the other kids also curiously glanced at her as she walked in with Michelle. Emma was extremely disappointed to see that Flash was there too which almost made her rethink her decision about coming. The arrogant boy smirked at her the moment she walked into the room. Emma also noticed that Liz Allan was there and she hoped that the older girl didn't have an above average memory.
"Emma, glad to see you could make it to our meeting." Mr. Harrington told her as she walked into the room. "When I saw your test scores from last year as well as your IQ score, I had to say that I was very impressed." Having overheard Mr. Harrington, Peter glanced curiously over at Emma who just shrugged. He wondered just how high Emma's IQ was.
"Well, Michelle and Parker talked me into it. I'm still not decided." Emma told him honestly and Mr. Harrington solemnly nodded his head.
"Of course, Emma, it is a big commitment after all so I completely understand." He said before he glanced over at Peter. "But it is possible to juggle everything. I mean… look at Peter. He's got school, the decathlon team, and now his Stark internship." Emma's eyes immediately widened in surprise as she glanced back at Peter who was blushing from the attention. His Stark internship? He had a Stark internship? Emma could hardly believe what Mr. Harrington had told her. Emma assumed that his Stark internship took place at the tower but she hadn't ever remembered seeing a fifteen year old kid hanging around the place. Of course, it had been a very long time since Emma visited the tower let alone lived in it. It made sense that she might not have seen him while he was there. Snapping out of her thoughts, she returned her attention back to Mr. Harrington who was still rambling on about something.
"I can promise you that being on the decathlon team would greatly benefit you." He reasoned with her as she listened to him, deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt. "It looks amazing on a college application, you make new friends, and we're even going to Washington D.C. this year for nationals. It sounds like a fun trip, right? We get to stay in a really fancy hotel and even visit the Pentagon." Emma wasn't so sure if she wanted to go back to D.C. A lot of bad memories circulated that city ever since the death of her grandmother. Emma barely had enough time to process her grandmother's death after the fight at the airport. Between her separation from Steve and her father, being forced to attend school by Tony, and her grandmother's death… Emma was having a pretty difficult time.
"So I'll just let you mingle with the others and see how you like it." Mr. Harrington finally finished and Emma was beyond grateful. The guy really liked to ramble on a lot. That much Emma could tell. Emma and Michelle were about to head in the direction of the snack table but were stopped by Liz Allan on the way. The older girl had a kind smile on her face as she looked at Emma.
"You must be Emma." Liz said as she stuck out her hand. "I'm Liz." She introduced and Emma shook her hand cordially. She then watched as a confused look came over Liz's face as she looked at Emma. Emma held her breath but maintained her composure as she stared back at Liz. She was a bit concerned that Liz might of remembered her after all. Emma didn't know what she would do in that sort of situation.
"Have we met before?" Liz questioned and Emma feigned a confused look as she looked back at her.
"No, I don't believe so." Emma told her, pretending to sound unsure. Liz's eyes then widened in realization as she smiled at Emma.
"We have the same fifth period PE class together, right?" Liz asked and Emma felt a wave of relief flood through her. Liz hadn't remembered Emma like Emma remembered her. Well, Emma didn't think she remembered everything about her. For some reason Emma felt like Liz's last name hadn't been Allan when they last met. She couldn't quite remember what last name she remembered her having but she was sure it wasn't Allan. Emma felt like it might've started with a T. Toole? Tanner? Thomas? Emma couldn't exactly be sure and she cursed her thirteen year old self for not paying enough attention at the time.
"Yes, I guess we do." Emma replied, a friendly smile on her face. Liz then glanced at Michelle with a raised eyebrow before glancing back at Emma.
"Well, we could really use you on the team." Liz told her. "I guess we all have Michelle to thank for having you as a friend. Everyone's spoken nothing but incredible things about you. I'm sure we could win this year if you're on our team."
"We're not friends." Michelle deadpanned as she looked at Liz blankly. Emma nodded her head in agreement which made Liz confused. She looked between them, not understanding the situation at all.
"Yeah, we've only known each other for a week." Emma explained. "I think we're more acquaintances than friends… for now at least." Michelle nodded at Emma's statement and Liz looked confused by the entire situation.
"Well, okay then… I'm still hoping that you'll join our team though." Liz said to her before flashing her one last kind smile and walking away to go talk to Cindy Moon. Emma watched her leave, incredibly grateful that Liz hadn't remembered her. It would've put a major strain on Tony's plans if she had. Emma didn't think she personally minded but it would surely make the situation awkward if Liz had remembered her. It was then that Emma's attention returned to Peter as she noticed him nearby. He was standing next to Ned as they both longingly stared after Liz. What a bunch of dorks. Emma rolled her eyes before she approached Peter, Michelle following suit, as she went to stand next to him.
"What are you looking at?" She asked suddenly which caused both Peter and Ned to jump in surprise. Once Peter calmed down he gave Emma a bewildered look.
"How did you do that?" Peter asked, still surprised by her sudden appearance. Emma had been standing next to him like she had been standing there the whole time. She raised her eyebrows at him.
"Do what?" She inquired. Peter wildly gestured around her as he tried to come up with words for what she just did.
"Sneak up on us like that." He told her. "One second you're half way across the room and then the next, you're right here standing next to me." Emma scoffed.
"It's not my fault your eyes are so glued to Liz that you don't even know your own surroundings." Emma told him. "Michelle and I just walked over here like normal people… no sneaking around involved." Peter narrowed his eyes at her. Sometimes he didn't know whether he liked her or disliked her. She seemed nice and funny one second and then the next second she was sarcastic and teasing. He didn't know what to think about Emma Lewis most of the time.
"Well, I'd appreciate it if you gave me a little heads up next time instead of scaring the crap out of me." Peter said, giving her a warning glance. Like that did anything to intimidate her, Emma thought to herself. Peter was perhaps the least threatening person she had met despite how weird he acted sometimes.
"Don't let Mr. Harrington hear you, Parker. That was a bad language word." She teased with a big smirk on her face. It almost reminded her of that time everyone teased Steve about his distaste of crude language. Peter glared at her.
"You're not funny, Emma." Peter told her even though Ned and Michelle were snickering behind them. Emma maintained her smirk before she remembered what she had wanted to talk to him about in the first place. How did she get that off topic? Emma usually tended to get the answers she wanted and then leave but instead she sat there teasing Peter for around five minutes. Maybe she was just letting high school get to her. Yes, that was it. High school was starting to get to her like some kind of infection. Emma would just have to maintain more focus instead of letting anything distract her more than it already had.
"You have an internship at Stark Industries?" Emma questioned as she looked at Peter. Peter looked at her in surprise, taken back by the sudden question.
"Er… Yeah, I guess." Emma raised an eyebrow at him.
"Well, do you or don't you?" She asked. Peter awkwardly cleared his throat.
"Yes, I have an internship at Stark industries." He finally answered and Emma gave him a curious look.
"And what's that like? Have you met Tony Stark?" She continued to question him and Peter suddenly wished he was anywhere but there. To be honest he hadn't thought he would need to come up with that much of a cover story. He thought once he told someone that he had an internship at Stark industries that the questioning would end there. It worked for Ned, Aunt May, and everyone else. Peter struggled to come up with an excuse as he blushed and averted his eyes. It was something that Emma didn't miss. Parker being weird as usual, Emma thought as she watched him struggle to come up with an answer.
"It's good. I mostly just bring coffee to everyone and print stuff out. Nothing terribly exciting." Peter said, laughing nervously but Emma could already tell that he was lying. Only… why would he lie about having a Stark internship? "Mr. Stark's nice. He's very eccentric but he's been kind to me. I've met him a couple of times." Emma knew better than anyone else that Tony Stark was anything but nice… at least to her anyways. He practically tore her life apart and she wasn't quick to forget that detail.
"That sounds nice." Emma remarked, trying to seem casual about the whole thing. The truth was that this only increased Emma's suspicions. She knew that if Mr. Harrington knew about the Stark internship then it was most likely real which was odd because Peter gave all the signs that told her that he was lying. He obviously knew Tony Stark somewhat if they had met a couple of times but Emma wondered what the extent of their relationship was. Was Peter just another lowly intern that Tony wasn't likely to remember? Emma wasn't sure but she definitely knew something was up.
"Why do you ask?" Peter questioned and Emma shrugged.
"You're an intern for Stark Industries. That's warrants some interest, doesn't it?" Peter looked at her for a moment before nodding.
"Yeah, I guess it does." Emma was about to respond when someone else approached the small group in which they had formed. It was someone that Emma really starting to hate. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and glare at the person as they swaggered up to the small group.
"Well hello, Emma." Flash greeted as he went to stand next to her with a smug smirk on his face. Emma feigned a friendly smile as she looked at him. Peter and Ned glared at the smug teenager while Michelle just observed the situation indifferently.
"Hi, Flash." Emma replied.
"I couldn't believe it when I heard that you were joining the decathlon team." He told her, grinning. Emma wanted to smack the egotistical grin right off his face. She had to clench her fist tightly as she controlled herself. "This is going to be fun. I promise."
"Well, nothing's set in stone yet." Emma responded, her smiling looking more fake by the minute. Even Peter could tell that she wasn't happy to be in the presence of Flash. It was actually very amusing to Peter as to how much the blonde seemed to despise Flash.
"You'll join." Flash told her, sounding sure. Flash then glanced over at the others in the group before smirking again. "What's going on here? You hanging out with the wrong crowd, Emma?" He teased. Emma couldn't believe this guy. Did he seriously not realize how much he sounded like Draco Malfoy right now? It suddenly made sense to Emma. That was who he reminded her of… Draco Malfoy. She thought about the weird daddy issues, obsession with his school rival, and his annoying smugness. It was a perfect match, really.
"Nope. I'm just standing here talking with Parker. I didn't think there was anything wrong with that." Emma retorted. Flash just shrugged as he glanced back at her.
"There's nothing wrong with that." Flash responded. "I just didn't know you were friends with Penis Parker." Peter glared at Flash, annoyed by the boy's insistant need to always call him names.
"Can you stop calling me that, Flash?" Peter told him angrily but Flash just laughed at him.
"What? You don't like your name?" Flash teased cruelly. "Why not, Penis Parker? It's your name afterall." Okay, Emma was beyond annoyed by this kid's lame remarks. He was so immature that it literally took all of Emma's control not to strangle him. She was starting to resent Tony even more for sending her to a school filled with annoying little dickheads like this kid.
"Why the fixation with Peter's penis?" Emma questioned suddenly, a stoic expression on her face. Everyone in the group turned to look at Emma in shock, surprised by her sudden and intimate remark. Even Michelle was a bit surprised by Emma's boldness. Flash's jaw was hanging open as he stared at Emma. He swallowed nervously, a vibrant blush coming over his dark skin.
"W-w-what?" Flash stammered nervously as he stared at the blonde who only gave him a cold look in response. She feigned an expression of doubt.
"I mean you're always going on and on about Peter's dick." Emma retorted before continuing. "I just thought that there might be something there is all."
"Why would y-you say something l-like that…. I m-mean… I d-don't…" He continued to stammer as everyone watched in amusement.
"No, no, you just like picking on Peter because you have some sort of messed up Napoleon complex." Emma told him coldly. "Is that it?"
"Listen, Penis Parker over here think he's so smart and perfect. I'm just here to set him straight." Flash sneered as he looked over at Peter who glared back at him. Emma rolled her eyes. Testosterone.
"Whatever. His is probably way bigger than the slim jim in your pants, anyways." Emma said in a snarky tone with a completely serious look on her face. Both Flash and Peter stared at her in shock at what she just said. Even Ned and Michelle looked surprised. Flash opened and closed his mouth, gaping like a fish, while Peter just blushed profusely at Emma's remark. "Well, I think I've had enough of talking about Peter's junk so I'm just going to tell Mr. Harrington that I'm in."
"You're joining the team?" Ned managed to say once he got over his shock. Truthfully, Emma had been against joining the team for the start but now she had time reconsider her decision. It would definitely keep suspicious parties off of her trail. She didn't know many former assassins that not only attended high school but also were on the decathlon team. Emma was almost sure she would be the first one. Now that she really thought about it joining the decathlon team would be a logical move. She would be able to remain under radar as well as some more Parker watching. It was a win-win scenario for her. Emma just smirked, shrugging as she looked over at them.
"Yeah, I think this decathlon might turn out to be really interesting." Emma told them as she glanced at each and every one of them. "You've managed to convince me." Emma gave them all one last look, her eyes gleaming with excitement, before she walked away. She was probably going to tell Mr. Harrington the real news. Peter watched Emma walk away as if she didn't just say something entirely shocking. The more time Peter spent with Emma the more confused he became. Was there ever going to be a time where he actually understood her? He had only known her for a week but he could already tell that Emma Lewis was going to be the most complicated and confusing person he had ever met.
After the decathlon meeting let out, Emma immediately exited the school building. She wasn't about to head back to the townhouse just yet. Darcy wasn't likely to be back from the university anyways. Emma thought she was lacking some necessary vinyl records from her record collection so it wouldn't hurt if she made a quick stop inside the vintage record shop so that she could add some to her growing collection. Emma said that she would make a quick stop but in reality she tended to spend over an hour in that shop. It was the same way for her whenever she visited a bookshop. Emma was already well on her way to the vintage record store when someone approached her. The blonde prepared herself for attack but then she saw that it was only Peter Parker. She forced herself to calm down.
"Hey, Emma." He greeted as he fell into step with her. Emma raised an eyebrow at him.
"Hey, Parker. What's going on?" She was a bit confused as to why he was walking with her. Usually Peter seemed to leave school as soon as he was able. Emma wasn't sure where it was exactly that he was going but she never let herself follow him. She felt as though that would be taking it a step too far. If she got caught who knows what Tony might be punish her with next. Emma was afraid that he might force her to join the cheerleading team or the homecoming committee. Emma wouldn't risk it… for now.
"I just wanted to thank you for what you said in there." Peter told her although he blushed at the same time. "Even if it was kind of inappropriate." Emma scoffed.
"Inappropriate? What are you...Five?" Emma asked sarcastically as she continued to walk down the sidewalk, not bothering to slow down for Peter. "Besides… I didn't say that because of you. It was mostly just to get Flash off my back. I wasn't lying when I said he had a Napoleon complex, you know." Emma told him without the slightest falter in her tone. Anyone else might've thought she was telling the truth but Peter had a feeling that maybe there was more to it than that. He didn't really believe that she was only in it for herself.
"Still… It was nice to see Flash shut up for once." Peter replied and Emma glanced at him from the corner of her eye. She noticed the way he looked down at his feet whenever he was nervous.
"Well, you're welcome, I guess." Emma told her and Peter nodded, a small smile on his face. Then there was a nice peaceful silence between them for a couple of minutes. It almost reminded her of the peacefulness she felt during the silences she and her father shared… almost. It almost felt like those moments except for that fact that Peter seemingly had a big mouth and couldn't be quiet for more than a couple of minutes.
"So where are we going?" Peter asked suddenly. Emma raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.
"What do you mean "we"?" Emma demanded as they continued to walk down the street.
"I thought we could maybe hang out or something… we're now working together on the decathlon team so it only makes sense." Peter told her even though he didn't know when he had become so bold. Usually he never had the sort of confidence to talk to a girl like that but Emma seemed to bring something else out of him. Peter was still trying to determine whether or not that was a good thing. Emma gave him a suspicious look before she returned her attention to the street before her.
"Well, I'm going to The Vinyl Frontier. I don't know where you're going." Emma told him and Peter gave her a confused look.
"The Vinyl Frontier? Isn't that the record shop here in Queens?" Peter questioned.
"Yes." Peter grinned at her, looking quite dorky which made Emma feel weird. There it was again… that funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. Like she was about to spills her guts on the sidewalk. Emma didn't think she liked the feeling one bit because she didn't know what it meant.
"Do you collect vinyl records?" Emma just glanced at him briefly before she looked away.
"Maybe." Peter gave her another goofy grin. He didn't know a lot about Emma except that she was from Seattle, she was an artist, loved reading, and was big fan of Emperor Qin. It was nice seeing her outside of the school environment as well as learning something new and interesting about her. He didn't really picture her as the type to collect vinyl records but Aunt May always told him not to judge people based on how they looked. That bit of advice strongly applied to Emma. The blonde looked innocent and beautiful… like Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. The more Peter got to know her the more he could tell that she was a lot more cyncial and vulgar than Princess Aurora. She also had a very dark sense of humor for a fifteen year old girl.
"Are you a hipster or something?" Peter questioned and Emma glared at him.
"No, I'm not a hipster." She said bitterly before the expression on her face slightly softened. Peter was a little taken back by the expression on her face. He didn't think he had seen her look so vulnerable before. Granted he only knew her for a week but he was so used to the cold looks she'd give people or annoyed expressions. "My grandfather got me into vinyl. He listens to a lot of jazz and big band type of music but my tastes lie elsewhere of course." Emma informed him. It wasn't like she was lying. Steve had actually gotten her into listening to vinyl records but Peter probably didn't realize that her grandfather was Captain America.
"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Emma questioned and Peter gave her a confused look.
"What do you mean?" She just shrugged casually, seemingly nonchalant.
"I just noticed that you seem to be in quite the hurry after sixth period." Emma told him calmly. Peter nervously fiddled with the strap of his backpack as he came up with an answer, looking down at his feet as he did so. The two nervous gestures didn't escape Emma's notice.
"Usually I just have my Stark internship to get to." Peter answered. Emma nodded but deep down inside she wasn't buying that.
"But not today?" She pressed and Peter just shook his head as he smiled at her.
"No, not today." They walked in silence for the remainder of their walk together until they finally reached the record shop Emma had been talking about. Peter looked at the store in wonder, noticing that various loose vinyl records were hanging in the window. He quickly followed Emma into the store and was surprised to see that it wasn't one of those record stores that sold vinyl records of newer artists who were still stuck in the past. No, it was a vinyl record store that contained nothing but used vinyl records of older artists that were all probably the original ones that came out within the designated time period. Posters hung on the walls of various muscians like The Beatles, The Doors, Alice Cooper, Janis Joplin, and a bunch of other musicians that Peter didn't think he recognized.
"Hello, Emma!" An older man with white hair called out. He looked to be in his sixties but still had a certain youthfulness to his smile as he looked at Emma. Emma smiled back at him and Peter thought it might've been the first time he had seen her smile for real. A truly genuine, happy smile that contained no lies or sadness. "How was school today?"
"Oh, it was fine, Clark. Boring as usual." Emma told him dismissively. Peter raised an eyebrow at that. It was the same thing he told Mr. Delmar whenever he visited the Delmar deli. The older man, named Clark, gave her a pointed look before his attention turned to Peter.
"Who's this young man you've brought with you today? I don't believe you usually bring anyone into my shop other than your sister." He remarked as he gave Peter a welcoming smile. Peter smiled at the man politely.
"I'm Peter, sir. I'm a friend of Emma's from school." He told Clark which caused Emma to roll her eyes.
"He's more like a stalker/acquaintance." Emma replied even if that was a bit hyopcritical of her. She was the one that stalked Peter quite often while at school… not that he had any idea of that. It wasn't her fault. The teenager just acted super suspicious.
"Well, it's nice to see that Emma's been making friends." The older man said regardless of Emma's attitude. Peter wondered how long Emma had been coming in here if he seemed to be pretty familiar with her. "'Surrealistic Pillow' finally came in. I've got it waiting for you behind the counter." Peter didn't know what that meant but he knew that it was probably good news with the way Emma's eyes lit up with happiness. He swallowed as he felt a familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach as his heart skipped a beat. A slight fluttering actually… He knew that feeling because he often felt the same kind of giddiness whenever he was around Liz. Why did he feel that way around Emma? He barely knew her and besides… she didn't seem to be the nicest sort of girl. Peter thought she could even rival Michelle with how cynical and anti-social she could be. No, it was probably just because she was very beautiful and mysterious. Yes, that was it. Beautiful and mysterious.
"Really? I've been waiting on that album for so long." Emma said, filled with happiness that 'Surrealistic Pillow' had finally come in. It was her favorite Jefferson Airplane album and possibly her favorite album of all time. Everytime she looked for it in the store, it was always gone much to her disappointment. She had listened to the album a thousand times on her iPod but nothing beat vinyl. She had to have it on vinyl. "What condition is it in?" Clark grinned at her before answering.
"Near perfect." He told her before looking around the store. "I can hold it for you while you look through the records if you want. I got some new ones in last week." Emma nodded and smiled.
"That would be great, Clark. Thank you." Emma told the older man before she went over to the tables with crates upon crates of vinyl records. Peter followed her and looked around in awe because he didn't think he had seen that many vinyl records in his life. She didn't even glance at Peter as she began combing through the stacks of vinyl records. He just watched her curiously.
"What's 'Surrealistic Pillow'?" Peter asked suddenly and Emma glanced up at him with mild interest. There was the look again… Peter could've sworn he had seen the same exact look on someone else's face. It was really starting to bug him... who's face had he seen that expression on?
"'Surrealistic Pillow' is one of Jefferson Airplane's earlier records… before they were Jefferson Starship and the first record that Grace Slick appeared on. I actually prefer Jefferson Airplane to Jefferson Starship now that I think about it." Emma informed him but Peter didn't think he had ever heard of that band so he presumed that they were most likely decades old given the fact that the record store didn't seem to have anything beyond the nineties. He occurred to him in that moment that everything in the store was way older than either him or Emma.
"Do you ever buy vinyl records put out by newer musicians?" Peter asked curiously. "I know that there's ton of musicians that put their albums out in a vinyl format." Emma just shook her head at him.
"No, I don't. As much as I love a lot of newer musicians, their music was meant to be streamed in or listened to on iPhones. Internet radio…" Emma explained simply before she continued. "The musicians in here were meant to be listened to on vinyl. It sounds completely natural and real whenever you listen to them on vinyl because that's the way it was supposed to be." Peter nodded, processing what she just told him.
"That's an interesting way of looking at it but I get it. It makes sense to me." Emma continued looking through the vinyl records, pulling out one record sleeve every once and a while in interest before putting it back. She gave Peter a pointed look.
"My sole purpose isn't to explain to you why I do things." She told him bitterly and Peter sighed. So they were back to that, were they?
Emma had just begun to barely reach the "E" section of the stack when she saw a particular record that caused her breath to hitch. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest as she stared at it. Emma analyzed the desert picture on the cover art and realized what album it was. The Eagles debut album. Emma knew the music from this album all too well. A memory from a happier, more simpler time reached her mind as she stared at the cover of the album.
"Do you think she'll be okay, Steve?" A thirteen year old Emma asked Steve. They were taking a road trip to Washington D.C. to visit Emma's grandmother at the nursing home. It was nearing Christmas and they wanted to surprise her with a visit. Steve looked over at Emma from the driver's seat.
"Your grandmother has some tough days, Emma, but she's really trying to be strong." Steve told her. "I knew your grandmother when she was a young woman. She never took the easy way out and she remained strong and empowered even in the toughest of situations. Your grandmother will be just fine."Emma looked down at her lap as he told her that.
"I don't know, Steve…" Emma trailed off before continuing. "Everytime we see her, things take a turn for the worst. Last time she didn't even remember me." Steve just gave her a comforting smile.
"She's not well, Emma, but she still cares about you. Before I found out that you were still alive, she talked about you all the time… how much she missed you and how much she wished she could've protected you." Steve informed her. "She loves you." Emma wasn't sure how to feel about that so she decided not to say anything. Sensing that the silence was rather uncomfortable, Steve decided to turn on the radio. As soon as the radio turned on, Emma heard an all too familiar sounding song come on the radio and Steve grinned at her. The sadness that was in the air was now fading away.
"This is our song." Steve told her and Emma just rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.
"Don't be ridiculous." She told him in a bitter tone.
"Come on… you love this song. I know you do." Emma shook her head.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Steve smirked at her.
"Why don't we have a sing along?" Steve suggested and Emma looked at him like he was insane.
"Are you crazy?" She questioned and Steve shrugged.
"It could be fun."
"Do whatever you want but I refuse to look like an idiot." Emma responded and Steve just smiled.
"Suit yourself." Steve told her as the second verse of the song began to come on. He immediately started singing along and Emma wondered if anyone ever told him that he was a terrible singer. It seemed like not even the super serum had helped him out there.
"Well, I'm standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona and such a fine sight to see." Steve's terrible vocals mixed with Glenn Frey's amazing vocals made an interesting duet, Emma noted. "It's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me."
"Come on, baby, don't say maybe. I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me." Steve continued to sing horribly and Emma bit the inside of her cheek so she wouldn't smile or laugh. It was becoming increasingly difficult by the second not to laugh or sing along with him. Emma had to admit that this was one of the best songs of all time.
"We may lose and we may win through we will never be here again. So open up, I'm climbin' in. So take it easy." There was a small guitar solo in the song and Steve stared at Emma knowingly. He knew that it was becoming more and more difficult for her not to jump in and sing with him. 'Take it Easy' was just entirely too irresistible. So when the next verse came in, Emma decided to set all her pride aside and finally sing with Steve. If he told anyone about this, Emma would make him regret it.
"Well, I'm running down the road trying to loosen my load, got a world of trouble on my mind." They both sang loudly, Emma hoped that no one passing by would notice them horribly singing in the car. "Lookin' for a lover who won't blow my cover, she's so hard to find." And then came Emma's favorite part of the whole song. The chorus.
"Take it easy, take it easy. Don't let the sound of your own wheels make you crazy." Steve and Emma glanced at each other while singing along to the Eagles most famous song. They were both fighting back laughter as they did so. "Come on baby, don't say maybe. I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me. Oh we got it easy."
"We oughta take it easy." They both finished the song, remaining quiet as a Fleetwood Mac song began to come on the radio. Emma turned to look at Steve a moment later with a dead serious look on her face.
"If you tell anyone about that, you'll regret it."
"Emma? Are you okay?" Emma was brought out of her thoughts by Peter's voice. She blinked before she glanced over at him, noticing that she still had the record in her hand. Was she that lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice him? Emma gave him a fake smile as he looked at her in concern.
"I'm fine… I just spaced out there for a second." Emma told him but somehow that didn't reassure Peter. He could tell that the smile on her face was fake. Something was really bothering her.
"Are you sure?" He questioned and Emma nodded.
"Yeah, of course." Emma replied but looking down at the record in her hand once more. She swallowed nervously before looking around the store, scanning the room one last time. "You know what? I think I'll just get this one and the one at the counter today." Emma informed him before she started walking towards the counter. Peter followed suit although he was beyond confused about Emma's behavior. He wondered what was bothering her.
As Emma walked to the counter, she felt sadness surge through her. Sadness because she missed Steve more than she could imagine was even possible. For so long she had taken him for granted that he was there and then he was just gone… just like that. There was no one there to help her with her nightmares anymore. There was no one to talk to and be honest with. There was no one who didn't judge her. There was no one that shared in her passion for art. There was no one that acted like a huge dork all the time. Emma missed him so much that it was beginning to really hurt. Sure, she had Darcy for some of those things but Emma didn't completely trust that she wouldn't go report back to Tony. Most of all… Darcy wasn't Steve. Emma felt guilty for not appreciating Steve as much when he was actually there. All those fights they had seemed so petty and stupid now that he was out of her life. Emma just wished she could go back in time and change everything but she knew that she couldn't. Somethings couldn't be changed.