Author's Note: I feel like it's taken me forever to write this chapter when in reality it's been like three or four days. I just saw Thor: Ragnarok and I really liked it. It's not like other marvel movies and I know some comic book fans might hate that Marvel takes a comedic route but I personally don't find anything wrong with that. I think it makes the movie more fun. The only DC movies I currently like is Wonder Woman and the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy. How can you not love Christopher Nolan? The guy is a visionary. Seriously, go see Dunkirk. I had goosebumps the entire time. I also want to say that there's a bit more comedy in this chapter towards the end because I've been binge watching the Mindy Project again. That show is literally my favorite and I don't care if any of you think less of me for it. Mindy Kaling is one of my favorite people of all time. I really wish that I was her because she seems like a lot of fun.
Also I hope no French, Italians, or Germans take offense in this chapter. It's just a joke and not meant to be taken seriously or meant to be offensive. I am half German or of German descent and I also love Italian food... I really wish that I was part Italian because I love Italian food so much. I'm half Mexican too but I don't really like Mexican food except for tamales and breakfast tacos. My family tells me a traitor but I just love Italian, Chinese, and Japanese food the best. It can't be helped. I find the Mexican culture super interesting though and I really wish that I was bilingual but unfortunately my mother said that it was too much work teaching me Spanish so those other cool Latinas who speak in Spanish all the time behind people's backs will never be my friends. I'll always be that Gringa. Sorry about the rant but my mother doesn't understand my non Spanish speaking Latina struggles. lol.I've been watching Mindy Project way too much today and she talks about herself a lot too so that's why I've been like this. I'm just kind of in that mind set now. I'm pretty sure watching the Mindy Project for twelve straight hours is going to melt my brain but oh well. But don't worry about the Mindy Project rubbing off too much in this chapter. All the characters are still in character.
SabrinaInWonderland001: Thanks so much! Your review is super nice and thoughtful. I have a low self esteem so that review pretty much made my day. Lol. I honestly wish that someone else would write a Tom Holland Spider-Man fanfiction because I can't find any that I like and the ones that I do like are like three chapters long and the author just stopped writing. I don't why there's not anymore but I'll keep updating to be that one person who's writing a Spider-Man fanfiction. I'm happy that you're actually recommending me to someone else but just tell your friend to excuse some of my grammar errors. I know that they're there but I'm really lazy and I haven't reedited the chapters yet. Maybe when I eventually finish writing this story someday far away from now then I'll go back and edit again.
I'm surprisingly really good about updating which has never been a thing for me. There was that time when I stopped for like two months but otherwise I've been pretty good at updating. I honestly enjoy writing this fanfiction so much. I never want to stop.
gossamermouse101: I figured that he was spending so much time around Emma that he couldn't really help but to sympathize with her point of view.
knarl: If you loved the part of Emma trusting Peter in the last chapter than you're totally gonna love this chapter. There's this one moment between Emma and Peter in this chapter which I think is really big for them. Emma is definitely becoming more and more vulnerable and actually caring about stuff. I think it's really good for her... this just proves how good Peter is for her.
JokeLover123: I'm kind of wondering why people didn't seem to get notifications about the story. I'm just assuming that a lot of people didn't get notifications because I didn't really get any reviews for a while and I was panicking over the fact that everyone hated the chapter. lol.
Feelings are definitely developing between the two of them. Peter kind of knows that he's attracted to Emma but Emma's kind of trying to figure out what it is that she's feeling for Peter. She's kind of in denial and her and Peter definitely aren't relationship ready yet. Peter's kind of focused on Liz right now anyways because he's liked Liz since way before Emma came into the picture. I think any attraction he feels for Emma really scares him.
I also feel like Peter and Emma are growing fond of each other. Things that normally would've shocked him or really pissed him off aren't really doing it for him anymore. I think the more time Peter spends with Emma the more he sort of adjusts to her because I don't think anyone could ever get used to her. Peter's just kind of learning to go with it. Her weirdness and shock value commentary have become something he looks forward too.
Thanks for all the reviews last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one. Please let me know what you think.
It didn't take Peter very long to finally open the vault after Emma's confession about the stolen car. He managed to open it after over two hundred failed attempts and Emma was honestly surprised he had been able to do it. Granted that it was morning anyways but at least they hadn't bumped into anyone from Damage Control. It seemed like they were running low on time seeing as how Ned was unknowingly carrying around a bomb that could potentially blow everyone up. They hitched a ride back to D.C. which took forever considering how far the drive was. It wasn't like Emma could just fly back. She had never flown that long before and she didn't want to test her limit today.
"McConaughey, can you try and get a hold of Michelle for me?" Emma asked McConaughey as her and Peter were just starting to enter the city. Peter seemed incredibly panicked as he tried and failed to get a hold of Ned. Emma wasn't so mellow herself right now but she knew she needed to remain calm if they were ever going to make it through this.
"Of course, Miss Rogers." McConaughey replied and Emma listened to the ringing before being disappointed once again. It seemed like they just couldn't get to D.C. fast enough. Not when that Chitauri energy core was still on their minds. She could barely comprehend the damage that thing could potentially do.
"Hey, this is Michelle. I would say that I'd call you back but I probably won't so, yeah, just leave a message or don't. I don't really care either way." Michelle's voice message said and Emma groaned in frustration. Well, that was certainly going to help Michelle get a job when she turned sixteen. Emma told McConaughey to end the call before she went back to thinking about what they were going to do in this situation. Her survival instinct kept telling her to leave and get out of town but Emma knew that that was just part of Hydra's training talking. What would her grandfather do in this sort of situation?
"I keep trying to call Ned but he's not picking up!" Peter called out to her from over the loud sound of the freeway. Emma nodded quickly.
"I know. I tried calling Michelle but she won't pick up either. They're probably already at Nationals." Emma told him.
"What if they're dead?" Peter said in a panicked tone of voice and Emma sighed.
"Peter, you can't think that way. We need to remain focus until we get a full analysis of the situation. You're not helping anyone by panicking." Emma said with a stern tone. Peter just gave her a bewildered look from under his mask.
"How are you this calm? Are you not even worried about them? They could die, Emma." Peter ranted, thinking that Emma's calmness was because she didn't care. Emma looked him right in the lenses of his mask, determination clear in her blue eyes.
"Of course I'm worried, Peter. I'm not heartless." Emma admitted before continuing. "I was trained to be calm even in the most tense situations because when you're calm you think clearly. Right now I can't afford for you to be panicked. Believe or not, Peter, I really need you." Peter just stared at her in shock. Did she really just say that or was he imagining it?
"You need me?" He asked breathlessly and Emma nodded.
"Yes, I need you in your right state of mind. We're a team, aren't we? You got us out of that vault and I'm sorry for ever doubting you but it's that kind of thinking that I really need right now." Emma told him honestly. She wasn't lying when she said that she needed him and she wanted him to know that so he'd calm down. "Can you do that for me? Can you calm down?"
"Yes, of course." Peter agreed as he slowly nodded his head.
"Good. Just live right here in the present with me… no what if situations. We just take this one step at a time. Agreed?" Emma inquired as she stared at him, wishing she could see his warm brown eyes to give him more of that reassurance that it was going to be okay. She could tell, however, that he seemed to have calmed down a bit from her little pep talk. His shoulders weren't quite as tense as they had been before.
"Agreed." Peter finally stated as he took a deep breath. It was then that Emma could see Michelle's caller id appear in her mask. She had her lenses down again and could see a picture of a bored looking Michelle pop up on her screen.
"Incoming call from Miss Jones. Would you like to take it?" McConaughey asked her.
"Yeah, take the call, McConaughey." Emma told him and Michelle's voice immediately came through the speakers in her mask.
"Well, isn't it the new Mrs. Parker." Michelle sarcastically greeted. "Is that why you and Peter were gone last night? Did you two get hitched? I thought that was only a thing in Vegas."
"What are you talking about, MJ? Where have you been? I've been trying to call you but I've only gotten a hold of your charming voicemail." Emma told her as she decided to ignore the snide comment about her and Peter.
"Where have I been? You've been missing since you went into Peter and Ned's room and never came back out. I talked to Ned this morning and he miserably failed at covering for Peter." Michelle told Emma and Emma could only inwardly curse at Leeds for continuing to screw things up. "Does this have to do with that thing you're hiding? I'm guessing Peter and Ned are somehow in on it too. This just keeps getting more and more interesting."
"MJ, I have something very important to ask you-" Emma started to say but was annoyed to see that she was interrupted by her friend almost immediately.
"Is it about me covering for you because it's a bit too late for that. I tried but Mr. Harrington busted into our room looking for you only to find nothing but your suitcase." Michelle informed her. "Yeah, you and Parker are going to be in a shit ton of trouble when we get back. We won Nationals by the way in case you were wondering."
"Listen to me, Michelle." Emma said with a more firm voice. She didn't really give a shit whether or not her and Peter were in trouble. Getting busted for sneaking around with Peter was the least of her worries right now. "Where are Ned and the others?"
"Ned?" Michelle asked in confusion. "Well, the entire team just went to the Washington Monument to celebrate the victory but I didn't go. I didn't really want to go inside a building that was built by slaves."
"Wait… they went to the Washington Monument?" Emma asked in surprise. God, she really hoped that Ned wasn't still carrying around that Chitauri energy core with him. That thing inside the Pentagon wasn't going to end well. "When was this?"
"Just a couple minutes ago. Why?" Michelle answered and Emma groaned as she ran a hand over her face.
"Shit. Look, just keep your distance from the building. I've gotta go." Emma told her hurriedly.
"Wait. What are you-" McConaughey then got the message to end the call with Michelle and Emma was actually sort of relieved that Peter and her were well within the city by now. They weren't even that far away from the Washington Monument but they still weren't close enough for her liking. Emma was about to tell Peter the bad news about the team and the Washington Monument when she noticed that he had finally managed to reach Ned.
"Oh, Ned, you're alive." Peter said in relief as he talked into his phone.
"Peter, are you and Emma okay?" She heard Ned say on the other line.
"Ned, where's the glowy thing?" Peter demanded to know, his tone was rather rushed and with good reason.
"Don't worry, it's safe." Ned told him, trying to reassure him. "It's in my backpack." Emma groaned in frustration when she heard Ned. In his backpack… while he was inside the Washington Monument? That was absolutely the worst place it could be right now. People were worried about terrorists bombing the Washington Monument and the whole building was going to probably be undone by a kid unknowingly carrying around a Chitauri energy core. The Washington Monument was about to be destroyed by a complete fluke.
"Ned, listen, the glowy thing is dangerous." Peter tried to tell him but it was clear that Ned wasn't taking him seriously.
"You guys missed the decathlon. I covered for you although everyone kind of thinks that you and Emma spent the night together somewhere. Yeah, the rumor mill is up and running even all the way here in D.C." Ned told him and Peter couldn't even bring himself to panic over the fact of what people were saying about him and Emma. Emma couldn't believe that their teammates were actually debating over something like that. This was ridiculous.
"Listen to me." Peter pleaded but his pleads were going unnoticed by Ned.
"We're at the Washington Monument-" Ned began to say as he was then interrupted by Liz.
"Peter, is that you?" Liz said into the phone. Emma rolled her eyes at the older girl's voice. It wasn't that she disliked Liz but Emma was starting to think that Liz was going to be one of those damsels in distress like Jane or Pepper. Nice women but they almost always distracted their boyfriends from the task at hand by constantly being in danger. Emma sincerely hoped that Liz didn't get in the way of her and Peter's mission too much. She didn't have time to waste on Peter's would be girlfriend.
"Hey Liz." Peter replied nervously.
"Please put Ned back on the phone." Peter told her hurriedly and Emma glanced over to see the Washington Monument in the distance. She gave Peter a hand signal, signaling that they were going to jump off the top of the bus they had been riding on. Peter gave her a brief nod before the both of them jumped off the bus and landed on their feet in unison.
"You flake, you're lucky we won." Liz scolded him before her tone turned into a more concerned one. When Peter and her both landed on the ground they immediately broke off into a run. People stared at the two new heroes in surprise and fascination as they ran by, bolting for the Washington Monument. Spider-Man was only known from YouTube and the battle at the airport in Germany. The Viper Assassin was mostly known for her former allegiance with Hydra and companionship with the Winter Soldier. The public was aware that she had been a former member of Captain America's faction before defecting to Tony Stark's faction but there was not much else known about the mysterious blonde assassin. Nevertheless they were still terrified of the assassin as she ran past them but also curious as she ran alongside Spider-Man who was known to be a more innocent and less hostile hero rather than an anti-hero with a shady past. "I want to be mad, but I'm more worried. Like, what is going on with you and Emma? You've both been MIA since last night and there's some seriously nasty rumors going around about you two."
"Nothing's going on with us. We're just friends." Peter hurriedly explained as they ran. Emma wanted to roll her eyes at his need to assure Liz that he was absolutely single. Really? They weren't exactly in the right situation for him to be soothing Liz's jealousy. "Liz, I really have to talk to Ned. It's important. There's something in Ned's backpack. It's really dangerous and don't let it go through x-ray."
"Liz?! Liz?!" Peter continued to call as they ran but she didn't answer him. "Damn it!" Emma clenched her jaw as she realized what that meant. It meant that the Chitauri energy core had most likely gone through the x-ray and it was going to blow up any second now. Great… what a way to start a day. Trying to save a bunch of high school students from being blown up by a Chitauri energy core. When she first agreed to a truce with Peter she definitely didn't foresee running through D.C. It felt weird being out in the open like this as the Viper Assassin. When she was with Hydra she was usually a lot more covert than this.
"When we go up there to save the team from the energy core do we have to save Flash as well?" Emma asked Peter as they ran across a crosswalk. Peter had just managed to throw his backpack up against a tree after shooting his webbing at it so it wouldn't get stolen. Peter then turned to look at her sharply, not believing what she just suggested.
"What?!" He exclaimed as they came closer and closer to the Washington Monument.
"I'm just saying that no one really likes him. He's a real dickhead. I don't think anyone would really miss him… except for his parents maybe but I wouldn't feel bad for them. They're the ones who raised him after all." Emma elaborated as they ran.
"No! We can't let Flash die! That's terrible!" Peter yelled at her.
"What if I could make it seem like an accident." Emma said, making another suggestion. To Peter it felt like she was negotiating and he really hoped that she was joking. "I've made other deaths look like accidents. I could say that I tried to save him but I accidentally dropped him in the process. It would look like a tragic mistake. We could tell Stark that my hand accidentally slipped and if you vouched for me he'd actually believe it. No one would know the difference."
"I'm not committing murder with you!" Peter yelled at her in disbelief. "I'm just going to forget you ever said that." Emma smirked as they continued to race over to the Washington Monument. She was only kidding around… well, semi kidding anyways. The situation was way too tense right now and she didn't want Peter panicking again like he had before. They finally reached the area in front of the Washington Monument and the smirk fell off Emma's face as they heard a large crack echo through the sky. The top part of the Monument shifted as some cracks were formed down the side of the building. Emma gritted her teeth. This day just kept getting better and better.
"No, no, no." Peter said as they both looked up at the top of the building along with the other onlookers.
"McConaughey, what's the damage?" Emma asked as she just stared emotionlessly towards the top of the building. McConaughey zoomed in on the top of the monument and showed her an x-ray image of the elevator as well as the students trapped inside.
"It appears that the Chitauri energy core had detonated, Miss Rogers." McConaughey told her. "It's caused massive structural damage to the building." Emma took a deep breath before exhaling at the information. Stay calm, Emma… Think about what Steve would do in this situation. He would most likely remain calm and proceed with caution. Just do what Steve would do.
"Oh no." Peter said breathlessly and it was then that Emma finally noticed Michelle standing off to the side. Her friend looked immensely worried as she looked up towards the sky. Emma was just glad that Michelle wasn't up there too. That was one less person she had to worry about at least.
"My friends are up there." Michelle said in a concerned voice. If they had been in any other situation Emma would've teased her about finally calling them friends but now wasn't the time for that. Her and Peter had a job to do.
"What?!" Peter exclaimed as he turned around to look at her, looking slightly surprised but also relieved to see that Michelle was out of harm's way. "Don't worry, ma'am, everything's gonna be okay." Peter then took off towards the building. Emma wanted to roll her eyes at him. And she was the one who lacked communication skills? Emma noticed Michelle still standing there staring at her with a frightened look in her eyes, probably scared out of her mind for her fellow teammates up in the elevator. She was probably too worried to make any connection between Emma and the Viper Assassin not that that mattered right now anyways.
"Stay calm. We'll save your friends." Emma told her softly before she levitated off the ground much to Michelle's surprise and then flew upwards, heading towards the top of the Washington Monument. Emma really hoped that she wasn't lying to Michelle when she told her that. She usually didn't like making promises when she didn't know if she could keep them but Emma wanted Michelle to know that everything was going to be okay. She wanted her friend to know that the situation wasn't as bad as it seemed even though it was. Maybe that was what being a friend truly was. Emma didn't know but she was even more determined to save her fellow classmates. The blonde would never admit it but she would be immensely sad if any of them died. She didn't know if she could ever forgive herself if she let them die… Well, except Flash maybe. Emma could forgive herself for letting him die probably.
"McConaughey can you connect me to Peter? We really need to have a chat." Emma requested as she flew up towards the top of the building. She observed that Peter was still climbing up the side of the building and was taking forever.
"I'm connecting you to Mr. Parker's communication subsystem right now." McConaughey informed her before Peter's name popped up on her screen, notifying her that she was now in contact with him.
"Hey, Spider-Twerp, did you forget something?" Emma asked in an annoyed voice.
"I'm a little busy right now, Emma." Peter huffed as he climbed the side of the Washington Monument.
"I thought we were supposed to communicate. What happened to that?" Emma inquired.
"Can we discuss this later? We really need to get to the others." Peter told her and that pissed her off even more. She didn't like being dismissed like that.
"If you asked nicely I would've flown you up to the top." Emma told him, already feeling tired from arguing with him.
"Yeah, well, I don't trust that you wouldn't drop me and the fall would be kind of far." Peter replied and Emma groaned. He was being ridiculous.
"Fine then. Waste your time climbing when you could already be up at the top with me." Emma told him before she told McConaughey to disconnect her from Peter's suit. Sometimes he really got on her nerves and this happened to be one of those times. She really didn't understand that boy sometimes. He just had to make everything way harder than it had to be.
"Miss Rogers, I'm estimating around ten minutes before catastrophic failure." McConaughey informed her as she began nearing the top of the building. She didn't want to fly too fast because using up all her energy on the flight up probably wouldn't do her any favors in the long run.
"Well, that's reassuring." Emma replied sarcastically.
"The safety systems are completely failing." McConaughey told her, ignoring her sarcasm. "The occupants in the elevator are in imminent mortal danger, Miss Rogers."
"Can you just stop giving me the numbers at this point, McConaughey. You're not helping." Emma finally told the AI system.
"My apologies." He replied and Emma quickly noticed the small window at the top of the Washington Monument. A bunch of birds were resting on it but quickly flew away when she came closer to the window. The window looked to be her only and fastest way into the Monument. Peter was still down a ways so it looked like she was going to be on her own for now.
Emma flew closer to the window and didn't hesitate to throw a punch against the glass. She was surprised to see that glass didn't even crack under her strength. Emma punched the window again but there was still no damage. The blonde assassin continued this action until she realized that the glass was most likely a ballistic glass window. It was going to need a much larger impact if it was ever going to break. She then began to kick the glass but nothing came of her brutal kicks. No, Emma was going to need to apply more force against the glass.
She then propelled herself off the side of the building and flew back a ways before pointing her feet in the direction of the window. Emma clenched her jaw, a determined look in her eyes, before she quickly flew herself back against the glass and landed harshly. She winced a bit from the soreness of her feet but put her pain aside and repeated the action. Emma tried propelling herself towards the glass window a few times but still nothing happened. She just wasn't strong enough and that pissed her off more than anything.
"Why haven't you gotten inside yet?!" Peter called out to her and she noticed he finally showed up. He was standing on the ledge, pressed against the side of the building, as he looked over at her. Emma tried not to appear annoyed as she met his gaze.
"I've been trying to while you've taken your damn time getting up here!" Emma yelled back at him. He better not be criticizing her tactics right now. She was already frustrated enough as it was.
"Mr. Parker seems to be having a mild panic attack. His heart rate has accelerated quite a bit according to the AI system in his suit." McConaughey told her as she continued trying to get inside the building. Emma then furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she looked over at Peter who seemed to be looking towards the ground. In all fairness they were very high up and if Emma couldn't fly than she'd probably be nervous too.
"I've just never been this high before." Peter said breathlessly as he tried not to panic. Not this again, Emma thought to herself. They couldn't afford Peter having a panic attack all the way up there. Even despite herself Emma felt very concerned for him. She hadn't seen him look that terrified before. "Oh my god."
"Peter, just relax. You're going to be fine." Emma told him firmly. His frightful state was putting her on edge but she needed to be the calm one in this situation. Usually that job went to her father or Steve but neither of them were there so she had to step up and take over. Peter then began to kick the glass like she had been doing earlier.
"Why is it not breaking?" Peter questioned and she watched as his AI system probably answered his question.
"That's why I haven't been able to break it, Peter. It's a ballistic glass window. It's going to need a large impact." Emma told him and Peter looked at her curiously.
"You're not strong enough to break it?" Peter asked and he didn't ask it in a mean or condescending way. He was honestly a bit shocked that Emma hadn't been able to break it. She sighed and shook her head.
"No, I'm not but... maybe you are." Emma told him and Peter nodded, immediately knowing what she was asking of him. Peter then aimed his web shooters right above the window and shot out his webbing before quickly grasping the end of his webbing like some sort of rope. He swiftly positioned his feet against the top of the window before propelling himself off the side of the building and swiftly coming back down. Emma hovered near by as she anxiously watched him try to break the glass but it still wasn't working. The clock was ticking but Emma didn't allow herself to think too much about the amount of time they had left. She watched as Peter actually managed to cause a crack in the window which was more than what she was able to do but it still wasn't enough to break the glass.
Emma stiffened as she heard the sound of helicopter wing propellers as well as sirens in the surrounding area. She turned to look only to see three police choppers closing in on them. Emma groaned in annoyance because this really wasn't what they needed right now. They were only going to get in the way of what Emma and Peter had to do. The police really couldn't have shown up at a worst sort of time.
"This is D.C. Metro Police. Identify yourself." One of the guys in the chopper called out from over the intercom. Peter looked back nervously but Emma just shook her head at him, signaling for him not to worry but that obviously wasn't going to happen. This really wasn't what Peter needed right now. He was already nervous enough as it is.
"My friends are in there! Stop!" Peter called out to them.
"Return to the ground immediately." Another officer called. Emma narrowed her eyes at them as she saw one of the officers with a large looking gun pointed in their direction. She really hoped that he didn't have the balls enough to actually shoot at them.
"Stand down! Return to the ground immediately!" They ordered. "Return to the ground or we will open fire!" Emma really hoped for their sake that they didn't shoot at them. She didn't feel like getting shot at today.
"I'm not strong enough either!" Peter shouted over the choppers. "I don't know how we're going to get in!" It was then that something finally occurred to Emma. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before because it was so obvious to her now.
"Peter, I have an idea!" Emma called out to him.
"I'm all ears! We don't really have a lot of other options right now!" Peter yelled, gesturing to the choppers.
"We're not strong enough to break the glass separately but if we're able to break the glass together then it'll probably break. We just need to gain some more momentum." Emma explained and Peter gave the blonde a confused look from under his mask.
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Peter questioned and Emma gave him a serious look, reassurance clear in those ocean blue eyes of her.
"I can fly us back a ways and then propel us back towards the window. The glass should break from the impact of both of us hitting it." Emma told him and Peter quickly looked back towards the ground nervously. At this point Emma was hovering in the air right in front of him and she grabbed his face with her fingers, quickly jerking his face back to look at her. Emma looked him right in the lenses, her gaze sincere and full of promises.
"I won't let you fall, Peter." Emma told him sincerely. "You can trust me." Peter felt a bit lost in her eyes, watching the way the light brought out more of the green in her eyes. He could tell that she was being completely honest with him in that moment. There was no manipulation or deceit on her face as she stared back at him. Peter knew that he completely trusted her. He knew that she wouldn't let him fall… that she wouldn't let go.
"Okay." He finally said and Emma sighed in relief that he was actually agreeing to this. She quickly flew around him before placing her arms under his arms. Peter gulped as she did this but reminded himself that Emma wasn't going to drop him and if she did she'd probably catch him. He was safe with her. With Peter in her clutches, Emma quickly began to fly backwards and Peter let his feet dangle out from underneath him. He tried not to think too hard about the fact that his feet were no longer resting on a surface.
"It's okay, Peter. I'm not going to let go." She whispered softly into his ear and Peter nearly shivered and it wasn't from the cold fall air. Emma flew backwards, flying underneath the helicopters much to the police officers confusion. When she flew back far enough she paused briefly.
"Brace yourself." She told Peter before she positioned herself to fly back to the Monument feet first. Peter tried to copy her moment but found it hard since he wasn't able to float through the air like Emma could. Their legs were tangled together but Emma knew that it would only make the impact of their feet against the glass that much stronger. Peter closed his eyes as Emma began to fly back towards building with more speed than before. Emma could feel the cool breeze through her hair as they gained more momentum and finally hit the glass window feet first. As expected the impact of both Emma and Peter finally caused the glass to break as they went flying through the window before landing on the floor of the building, sliding swiftly across the linoleum floor just when the elevator was about to fall down the elevator shaft.
As Peter slid by the elevator he shot out his webbing towards the falling contraption, managing to successfully grab hold of the elevator with his webbing. Emma pressed her hands against the floor to stop from sliding and watched as Peter was jerked forward by the webbing as he tried to pull the elevator back up. He pressed his feet against the doorway of what was once the elevator and began to pull the contraption back up. Emma noticed that some of the team had already made it out but she estimated that some of them were still inside the elevator. Most likely Ned, Liz, and Mr. Harrington since she didn't see them in back of her. She quickly moved over to Peter and wrapped her arms around his chest from behind him, her fingers laced a crown, as she tried to help him pull the elevator back up. Emma had begun to pull him back away from the doorway so that he could continue to pull the elevator back up the rest of the way. It also helped to relieve him of some of the weight as Emma helped him.
"I did it!" Peter exclaimed a little too soon before some of the webbing snapped out of his grip and he was launched forward, out of Emma's grip. She watched wide eyed as the elevator began to drop again and Peter fell down the elevator shaft with it.
"Spider-Twerp!" She called out in fright as she looked down the elevator shaft.
He had seemingly landed right in the middle of the falling elevator before he shot more webbing towards the ceiling of the elevator shaft, stopping the elevator from falling. Emma let out a sigh of relief that he had been able to stop himself and the others from plummeting to their death. Stark would never forgive her if Peter died. Emma wouldn't admit this aloud but she also would never forgive herself if something ever happened to Peter.
"Viper! Open the doors and get these guys out!" Peter called out to her as he struggled to hold the elevator in place with his webbing. "I'm going to pull us back up to you but I don't know how much longer I'll be able to hold it." Emma just nodded as Peter began to pull them back up to the top floor. She easily opened what was left of the elevator doors much to the shock of the onlookers. It was kind of strange to be around her fellow classmates dressed as the Viper Assassin but it was just something she was going to have to get over. It wasn't like they actually knew who she was. Peter had finally managed to pull them back up to the top floor and Emma immediately held out her arms to Ned as he began to get ready to get out of the elevator.
"Ned, come on." She heard their classmates say as Emma easily pulled Ned into her arms and lifted him out of the elevator. She quickly passed him off to the others as he mumbled a relieved thanks to her. The security guards gave the skinny looking blonde a bewildered look as they watched her take over the situation. Emma noticed that Mr. Harrington looked somewhat nervous to leave the elevator and Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She knew that she looked like a scary assassin but it's not like he had any other options here.
"Guy with glasses, we don't have all day." Emma said in a bored tone of voice, sounding nothing like what some might've thought an Avenger would sound like, as she held out her arms towards him. She supposed he might've also been nervous because she didn't really look like she was capable of carrying anything over fifty pounds. Mr. Harrington must've figured that he didn't have any other options so he quickly stepped towards Emma and she immediately wrapped her arms around him, picking him up like he weighed as much as a pillow. The blonde assassin lifted him out of the elevator and back onto the floor. Emma pushed him out of the way as she prepared to lift Liz out of the elevator next.
"Are you sure it's safe?" Someone asked from behind them. Emma wanted to snap at them for doubting her abilities when the webbing finally snapped on the elevator, causing the elevator to fall back down the shaft again.
"Liz!" The others screamed and Emma watched with wide eyes as the older girl began to fall. The elevator shaft was full of Liz's screams as she started to fall through the air but Peter shot out his webbing last minute to catch her. Liz managed to grab hold of the webbing, stopping her fall before she could meet the elevator's same fate.
"You're okay. You're okay." Peter told the older girl reassuringly. He began to pull her up with his webbing, quickly grabbing onto her hand. Peter then passed her off to Emma who didn't waste anytime grabbing her and lifting her out of the elevator shaft. Liz's friends eagerly took her from Emma and quickly scanned the dark skinned beauty to make sure she was okay.
"You guys good?" Peter asked in a deeper voice. Emma wanted to scoff at him for being such a dork. It sounded like he was doing a really bad impression of that short Italian American doctor from The Mindy Project which is another show that Darcy forced her to watch. "Is everyone okay?" Everyone nodded simultaneously as Peter and Liz were locked into some kind of an intense staring contest. Emma looked between them, an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach as she watched the way Peter looked at Liz. She didn't know why but Emma really didn't like the way Peter was staring at Liz. It didn't feel right to her. The blonde usually wouldn't care about something so insignificant but for some reason she did and Emma didn't like the feeling one bit. The incident soon vanished from her mind as the webbing snapped again, causing Peter to plummet towards the bottom of the elevator shaft. Liz gasped as Peter fell and Emma even had a worried look on her face as she hurriedly looked down the elevator shaft, trying to see if Peter was okay.
"Thank you!" Mr. Harrington called down the elevator shaft. Peter who was lying at the bottom of the elevator shaft, seemingly completely okay despite his obvious exhaustion, tiredly waved his arm at them. Emma sighed in relief as she packed away from the edge.
"Are you really friends with Peter Parker?" Flash called down to him as he looked down the elevator shaft with the Nationals trophy in hand. Emma narrowed her eyes at the short teenage boy. Oh, it would be so easy for her to push him over the edge. She could easily just walk over and shove him over the edge. It wouldn't even require much effort on her part.
"Are you the Viper Assassin?" She heard Cindy ask from behind her. Emma was immediately broken out of her thoughts by the question and slowly turned around to face her fellow classmates who were all staring at her with wide eyes. Emma had nearly forgotten they were there in the midst of everything. Some of them looked slightly fearful of her but also curious at the same time. Emma coughed awkwardly as she cleared her throat.
"Why, yes… I am." Emma answered hesitantly.
"Are you one of the Avengers now?" Abraham asked her as he gave her a curious look and the others also awaited her answer somewhat eagerly. Emma swallowed, uncomfortable with being in the spotlight.
"I guess so." She replied. That seemed to be the answer everyone was waiting for as all the fear melted away from their faces and was replaced by looks of excitement as they walked closer and closer to her. Emma was really starting to feel crowded by their close proximity and grinning faces.
"That's so cool!" Sally exclaimed as she bounced up and down excitedly. "I can't believe a real Avenger actually saved us all. You must be super strong to lift Ned, Liz, and Mr. Harrington out of the elevator. That was awesome!" Emma just eyed the happy looking teenage girl carefully.
"Yeah, sure." Emma was about to excuse herself from the group and make an escape when she was embraced by slender arms. She immediately tensed from gesture as Liz hugged her tightly. The slightly taller teenage girl had a somewhat strong embrace for someone who was probably a below average strength human girl.
"You saved us. Thank you." Liz told her with a look of admiration in her eyes. Emma didn't waste anytime disentangling herself from Liz's arms as she gave the girl a small smile that she was sure looked more like a grimace.
"Well, that's what the Avengers do." Emma replied awkwardly as she started thinking of a way to get herself out of the situation. "Speaking of which… there's some other Avengers type business that requires my immediate attention."
"Kids, we don't want to keep the Viper Assassin from her job." Mr. Harrington told the others as he smiled warmly at her. For once in her life she didn't seem to find Mr. Harrington completely useless. Emma gave him a quick nod.
"Hey, Viper Assassin! Can I have your number!" Flash called out to her as he gave her a suggestive smirk, waggling his eyebrows in a fashion that Emma was sure he found attractive. Peter really should've let me push him down the elevator shaft, Emma thought to herself as she forced herself to smile.
"No but if I ever need a munchkin impersonator for my niece's birthday party, you'll be the first guy I call." Emma quipped which caused the smug look to fall off Flash's face and the others to laugh at him. Emma began to walk back over to the window of the building that her and Peter crashed through.
"Viper, you're a friend of Emma's, right?" Ned asked her with a hopeful look on his face. Emma turned back to look at him curiously.
"Emma?" She questioned and Ned nodded furiously.
"Yeah, you're old friends, aren't you?" Emma immediately knew what he was doing. He was trying to say that she and the Viper Assassin were friends so that he could win some popular points by association. Emma knew exactly what she was going to do to teach this kid a listen. She feigned a confused look as she looked back at Ned.
"Emma? I don't believe I've ever heard of a Emma." Emma said in a confused voice and Ned gave her a look, trying to signal for her to go along with it. Emma knew exactly what he was trying to do but she was going to have her fun.
"Yeah, you have. Emma Lewis… one of your best friends. Emma who's also my friend." Ned continued to press and Emma just stared at him blankly.
"Nope. Doesn't ring a bell." Emma deadpanned as she climbed onto the ledge of the window. Ned just gave her a pissed off look and Emma smirked at him in return. "Have a nice life, kid who I've never met before." The blonde assassin then leapt out the window which caused all the other students to rush over to the broken window. They watched in shock and awe as the Viper Assassin flew through the air and becoming smaller the further she flew away. Everyone stared out the window except for Ned who glared at the window she had just flown out of.
"Stupid perfect blonde assassins." He muttered under his breath as he decided to wait by the door so they could finally leave the building. At this point he just wanted to go home and relax. It had been a long week for him and Ned had a feeling with Peter and Emma as friends this wasn't the end of the adventure. This was only the beginning.
Initially the decathlon team was supposed to stay in D.C. for the entire weekend but after the events at the Washington Monument, Mr. Harrington decided to call it a day and head home as soon as they arrived back at the hotel. Emma was actually relieved to finally go back home to New York because she really needed to rest. She hadn't slept since she was knocked unconscious the night before. At least she could get some rest Sunday and then on Monday her and Peter could continue their search for Birdman who evidently called himself Vulture according to something she heard when she was eavesdropping on his band of idiots. Vulture? What a pathetic name for a villain. It was almost as pathetic as Crossbones.
"I tried opening your suitcase last night." Michelle said suddenly, breaking Emma out of her thoughts. The blonde immediately turned to look at the dark haired girl sitting beside her but Michelle's eyes were still glued to the pages of her book. Emma raised an eyebrow at her friend. They were currently on the bus back home to New York and it was already night again. She made sure that she sat as far away from Peter as she could because everyone seemed to think her and Peter either hooked up or got hitched. Emma wanted to put as much distance as she possibly could between herself and Peter at the moment so everyone would hopefully forget the whole thing by Monday. She was also hoping they were all too distracted by the events at the Washington Monument to pay her much attention too. Her and Parker? Nothing made her more sick. His eyes were too kind for her liking and he was also kind of a dork. No, she wasn't attracted to him at all.
"Did you?" Emma questioned in amusement and Michelle finally turned away from her book.
"Yes, but it was locked." She said vaguely and Emma smirked.
"You wouldn't have found anything anyways." Emma told her which caused Michelle to narrow her eyes at her.
"I have another theory." Michelle stated as she continued to look at the blonde suspiciously. Emma gave her a curious look as she then looked very interested in what Michelle had to say.
"Have you now?" Emma inquired and Michelle nodded.
"Yes. You said before to think more scientific than supernatural so I've theorized that you're like Eleven from Stranger Things. Your mom was part of a scientific lab study in college where they gave her experimental drugs." Michelle explained and Emma listened intently to her friend's theory about her. "It turns out she was pregnant with you when she was taking them so you inherited some sort of superpower from the drugs."
Emma then started laughing at Michelle's insane theory although she wasn't sure how insane it was. It wasn't like Michelle's theory was that outlandish. Everyone in the bus turned to look at Emma who was actually laughing. They were surprised because Emma Lewis never really laughed or even smiled. She was a lot like Michelle in that way so it was shocking to them when they heard her laugh a soft musical laughter. Peter turned around in his seat to look at the blonde who currently looked to be full of life. He smiled because this was the Emma he liked… the real and sincere Emma who wasn't always cynical or sarcastic.
"Yeah, Parker and Lewis definitely hooked up. She's way less uptight now." Charles Murphey whispered to Flash and Peter immediately sent the boy a death glare that Emma would approve of. The boy widened his eyes at Peter's glare and immediately looked down at the floor of the bus without saying another word. Peter smirked to himself. Maybe Emma had it right.
"So I'm completely wrong?" Michelle inquired as she looked at her mysterious friend. Emma shrugged nonchalantly as she relaxed back into her seat.
"Well, you're on the right track." Emma admitted and Michelle raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Really?" Michelle asked, surprised that she was actually somewhat close to the correct answer. Emma nodded at her.
"Yeah, you're definitely getting warmer." Emma smirked as she leaned in closer to Michelle's ear before whispering. "It wasn't my mother they experimented on." Michelle looked at her with wide eyes as Emma moved away from her and looked out the window. Michelle was completely speechless at what Emma just told her. That was probably the biggest hint Emma had ever given her yet Michelle was still left a bit clueless as to what Emma was hiding. All she knew was that a relative of Emma, most likely her father or a grandparent, was experimented on which made her something like Eleven but not quite. If Emma somehow had superpowers or something then that would definitely explain how she never seemed exhausted or out of breath during P.E. It also explained Emma's just overall weirdness. Whatever it was Michelle knew Peter was involved as well. Michelle glanced at the blonde who was currently looking outside the window. What kind of secret was Emma Lewis hiding?
"EMMA!" Darcy screamed the moment Emma walked off the bus. Emma winced at the brunette's loudness as nearly everyone looked over at Darcy. Emma also noticed that Jane was there as well but she didn't appear to be nearly as hysterical as Darcy. She thought Stark told Darcy to keep a low profile but Emma realized he was only asking the impossible. Darcy could never keep a low profile. Peter, Ned and Michelle all gave the blonde curious looks as they watched her go over to the crazy brunette woman. As soon as Emma got off the bus Darcy immediately ran over like a crazy person and ambushed Emma.
"I'm never letting you go again." Darcy said as she wrapped her arms tightly around Emma. Jane gave her an apologetic look as she walked up to them. Emma just stood there awkwardly as Darcy buried her face against Emma's chest since the brunette was a few inches shorter than Emma. Emma awkwardly patted Darcy's back.
"I'm fine, Darcy." Emma said in an annoyed voice. She didn't really know why Darcy was freaking out like this. The incident in D.C. had been all over the news so Darcy should know better than else that Emma was one of ones helping out. It wasn't like she was in any sort of danger.
"I know but you never texted me to let me know how things were." Darcy told her and Emma rolled her eyes. Jane sighed tiredly.
"We've been waiting in the school parking lot for the past three hours." Jane told Emma as she gave Darcy a pointed look. Darcy backed away from Emma to give Jane a glare.
"Well, I'm sorry if I was worried. Emma's my more fun bff and not to mention her grandpa and John Wick would have my head if anything happened to her." Darcy said as she explained herself.
"Don't be dramatic, Darcy. I can take care of myself." Emma told her tiredly as she noticed Peter and Peter's Aunt approaching them. She gave Darcy a sharp nudge as she signaled for her to stop talking about top secret stuff. Darcy and Jane shared a confused look before glancing at the two approaching strangers.
"Hi, you must be Emma's sister." May greeted as she smiled at all of them and Peter stood awkwardly to the side, not able to meet Emma or Jane's eyes. Jane because Jane was a very famous scientist and Emma because… well, because she was Emma. "I'm May Parker. Peter's Aunt." Darcy and Jane's eyes widened in unison as they looked between Peter and Emma.
Darcy smirked a little as she noticed the cute, shy looking teenage boy who was unable to meet Emma's gaze. So this was the famous Peter Parker Emma was always talking about. He was actually a good looking kid. Darcy always assumed Emma's type would be more of guys who were super pretentious with their Ernest Hemingway novels, hipster shoes, and beanies. Kind of like how she imagined a Hipster Loki would look like. He'd be super dark and brooding but this kid didn't look anything like how she imagined Emma's type to look like. Peter actually looked like a sweet kid and attractive in a dorky way. He was cute in the same way Bruce was and now that Darcy thought about it there was a lot of similarities there. Emma and Peter were like a mini Natasha and Bruce.
"Yes, well, I'm Darcy Lewis." Darcy then glanced over at Jane. "This is Jane Foster. We're not lovers or anything. Just co-workers that happen to be friends." Emma rolled her eyes at Darcy's rambling and Peter smiled in amusement. Now that Peter knew that this Darcy woman was just a cover for Emma's family background, he didn't understand how Mr. Stark could expect anyone to believe that Darcy and Emma were related. It was clear to him that the two were nothing alike.
"It's nice to meet you." Jane told May who gave her a curious look. Everyone kind of knew who Jane Foster was. She was a famous astrophysicist known for her work on the Einstein-Rosen bridge, something May only knew from Peter, but Jane was also known as Thor's girlfriend. Lucky woman, May thought to herself.
"You too." May said politely. "What a crazy day today. I was worried that Peter had been in the elevator but he's already assured me that he wasn't. He's a lucky one, isn't he?" May said before she pinched her nephew's cheek, causing him to blush. Darcy and Jane shared an odd look before they looked at the teenage boy suspicious. He wasn't in the elevator either? They knew Emma wasn't in the elevator because she was the one doing the saving but where was this Peter kid the whole time?
"Yeah, we're lucky that Emma wasn't in the elevator either." Jane said slowly as she looked between Emma and Peter with suspicious eyes. Emma was her usual stoic self as she stared blankly at her but Peter was averting his eyes from all the adults there. Darcy and Jane didn't really know the kid too well but he seemed incredibly nervous.
"Emma, wasn't in the elevator either?" May inquired curiously before looking back at Peter. "Were you two hanging out somewhere or something?" Peter furiously shook his head with wide eyes. Emma honestly didn't know how his Aunt hadn't figured out his secret identity yet. He was literally one of the worst liars she had ever met.
"No, no. I was sick in my hotel room… I think it was the pizza I ate last night." Peter told her before everyone turned to look at Emma who just shrugged.
"Menstrual cramps." Emma said shortly which made Peter uncomfortable. Jane glared at the tactless blonde.
"Emma!" She scolded and Emma just gave her a look.
"What? We're all ladies here." Emma quipped before she looked over at Peter teasingly. "Oops. Sorry, Peter." Peter glared at Emma. Oh, she thought she was so funny, didn't she? Peter thought bitterly to himself. The teasing never stopped with her and Peter thought there must be something wrong with him for ever thinking he could be attracted to her. She was the single most frustrating person he had ever met.
"It really is nice to meet you, Peter." Darcy told the teenage boy who looked away from Emma. The brunette woman smirked a little at having caught him staring at Emma. He had been glaring at her but Darcy could definitely tell that the two seemed to have one of those love hate relationships. Darcy didn't really want to mention this, since Emma and Peter were kids, but the sexual tension in the air was pretty thick. It was way more intense than Darcy thought it was going to be, especially with two fifteen year old kids but nothing was ever normal when it came to Emma Rogers.
"I feel like I already know so much about you. Emma talks about you all the time." Darcy continued to say. Emma clenched her jaw at Darcy's statement before giving the brunette the death glare. Emma was finally going to murder that woman when they got home. She didn't care if Steve didn't approve. It was bad enough that Darcy kept teasing her about Peter at home but in public now too? She sulked even more when she saw the smug look on Peter's face as he smirked at her. When she eventually started teaching him hand to hand combat, she'd definitely wipe that smirk off his face. Even so Emma couldn't help but notice how much being devious suited him.
"Well, Peter's the same way. He's always going on and on about the pretty blonde girl that sits next to him in history." May replied and all three women laughed in unison. Emma took great pleasure in watching the smirk fall off Peter's face as he blushed a vibrant shade of red. She didn't want to say that she thought him blushing was adorable but she would say that she was fond of the way he blushed.
"Kids, right?" Darcy said jokingly. "It was really nice meeting you, May, but we've gotta get home. Dinner's waiting." May smiled at Darcy before nodding.
"Of course. I hope we meet again soon." May told Darcy and Jane before smiling at Emma. "It was nice seeing you again, Emma."
"You too, May." Emma replied with a small smile as May began to lead Peter away. Emma watched him as he walked away with his Aunt, noticing the glances he would throw her from over his shoulder… glances that he probably thought were subtle. Her smile didn't fade as she watched him. It was only when she noticed Darcy and Jane giving her a knowing look that the smile dropped from her face and she stopped staring after Peter. It felt odd being apart from him after spending so much time with him during the past few days.
"What?" She asked them when Peter and his Aunt were out of ear shot. Darcy just smirked at her and shook her head while Jane just gave her a kind smile.
"You totally have a boyfriend now." Darcy teased and Jane nodded.
"You two are so sweet." Jane added in agreement. Emma gave the both of them a glare before shaking her head and storming off to the car. God, those two should really have their own show. They thought they were so funny and clever, Emma bitterly thought to herself. Steve better find a way to come back soon because Emma's calmness was really being tested.
Meanwhile in Wakanda….
Steve had just had a long conversation with Natasha who returned from her trip to the states a few hours prior. He had been in Wakanda for close to five months now but that was also five months without Emma. Despite all the people bustling around T'Challa's hideaway palace, Steve still felt incredibly lonely without Emma there. He hadn't realized it until they were apart but Emma was sort of the center of his universe. The past couple of years of his life had completely revolved around Emma and that's how it should be. She was more than a granddaughter to him. Steve saw Emma as his daughter.
The past few months had become even lonelier for Steve when Bucky had decided to voluntarily submit himself to the Cyro-Chamber. Steve knew that it was probably for the best but that didn't stop him from missing his best friend. It was probably safer for Bucky to be in the Cyro-Chamber anyways considering that Tony had probably started some kind of witch hunt for him. It put Steve at ease knowing that Tony would probably never find him. Steve grimaced as he thought of his former teammate who now his… Enemy? Could Steve really call Tony an enemy now? Is that what they were? Steve sincerely hoped not.
Natasha had just finished filling him in on her meeting with Emma back in D.C. Steve felt relieved that Emma seemed to be doing more than fine. Natasha informed him that Tony had sent her to live with Darcy after having enrolled her in school. Apparently she had joined a decathlon team and even made some friends which surprised him beyond belief but Steve was happy for her despite the fact that wished that he could be there to see it all. He had always meant to enroll Emma in a school with other kids her own age but with everything that had occurred in past couple of years Steve just didn't feel safe doing that. At least she was living the life he always dreamed of her having.
Even with all the good things that seemed to be happening in Emma's life he was still very aware of the fact that her and Tony couldn't be further apart. Natasha seemed sure that Emma really hated Tony which upset Steve a bit. He knew her and Tony were never exceptionally close but she never hated him. Steve didn't want her be so full of resentment but it seemed like the rift between the two factions was only making everything worse for her. It caused him some pain to know that Tony and Emma were keeping their distance during his absence. That wasn't what he wanted for them. Steve knew better than anyone else that Tony and Emma needed each other now more than ever.
"You okay, man?" Steve snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at Sam who was giving him a look of concern. The super soldier nodded slowly as he came back into reality. It seemed like Emma encompassed most of his thoughts these days. It was no secret that Steve constantly worried about her.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Steve replied, flashing Sam a forced smile. "I was just thinking."
"Uh oh. We all know where that leads." Sam joked as he took a seat next to Steve on the couch. They were currently in a rec room of sorts in T'Challa's palace along with the other Avengers… or former Avengers.
Steve had always expected a palace to look more like Buckingham palace but he was surprised by how modern T'Challa's palace looked. He wondered if Emma would like it before dismissing the idea. Steve immediately knew that Emma would've hated the palace. She always hated the extravagance of the Avengers tower. He fondly remembered Emma always staying on their floor of the tower so she wouldn't have to talk to other people or navigate the tower. She said that she spent three days navigating her way out of the Amazon and didn't really feel like doing the same with Tony's big ugly tower. Emma also said it was about finding man eating anacondas to be more preferable than the sound of Tony's annoying voice. At the time Steve scolded her for being so impolite but he found that he really missed her cynical and rude nature these days.
"Thinking about the kid? Natasha said she's doing fine." Sam said and Steve sighed. He momentarily glanced over at the others. Clint and Wanda looked to be in a deep discussion on one of the other couches in the room. Steve knew that Wanda was having a lot of nightmares these days and Clint had become a father figure to her during the separation from his wife and kids. Scott was standing by one of the massive windows in the palace as he pestered T'Challa with a number of ridiculous questions about Wakanda's culture. Steve didn't know why Scott kept asking if T'Challa was somehow related to Prince William and Prince Harry.
"I know what Natasha said but I know Emma. She probably hates going to that high school and it sounds like she hates Tony too which is never what I wanted." Steve said in a depressed tone and Sam just sighed.
"Look, Steve, let's be honest… Emma never exactly liked Tony. I wouldn't be surprised if she was secretly devising a plan to kidnap Tony and hold him for ransom in exchange for our freedom. It's not like she hasn't done that before." Steve gave Sam a confused look.
"What are you talking about?" He asked him and Sam's eyes widened in realization.
"Right. You weren't there. You, Thor, and Nat were taking down that Hydra base in Mumbai." Sam told him which only made Steve more confused. Sam sighed heavily before he explained what happened a couple of years ago. "Emma may or may not have locked Tony in a supply closet at the tower. She somehow got Bruce in on it and he overrode Tony's access code to the closet so it was impossible for him to escape. Clint guarded the door so that Happy couldn't get Tony out… Happy's not that great of a bodyguard actually."
"Why am I only hearing about this now?" Steve asked in surprise. He was completely bewildered about this information.
"Well, Emma got her vinyl collection back from Tony so we decided that it was all water under the bridge. He was trying to ground her at the time… that's why she got pissed and locked him in the closet." Sam explained and Steve gave him a look of disbelief.
"Where were you during all of this?" Steve asked him and Sam shrugged.
"Enjoying the show." Steve just shook his head. Emma would never cease to be boring.
"Okay, we just got horribly sidetracked. I meant to say that I'm worried about Emma. We all know how she can hold a grudge. I never wanted her and Tony to become like this… I was hoping that the aftermath of everything would make them closer." Steve admitted as a worried expression came over his face again. "It worries me to know how alone she is over there."
"Steve, she's not alone. Nat says that she's living with Darcy and Jane practically lives there too." Sam said as he tried to reassure Steve. Steve still didn't look that reassured by Sam's statement.
"She is alone, Sam. I know her… she'll sneak around and lie to them. She'll keep everything bottled up inside while she assures them she's fine. She's probably having the nightmares again and I'm not there for her. Emma needs someone to talk to… someone that she trusts. I was hoping that Tony could be that person but I can see now that it was a long shot." Steve remarked sadly and Sam just gave him a sympathetic look.
"Tony was never going to be that person, Steve. He can't replace you." Sam told him seriously and Steve knew that he was right even though Steve wished that he wasn't.
"When she was at the Hydra base for those nine years she wasn't even alone because at least she had Bucky." Steve said quietly. "Now she doesn't have anyone. I don't want her to let this resentment consume her. It's not healthy for her."
"She'll be fine. She always is. Emma can take care of herself." Sam replied, not knowing what else to say to Steve. "Hopefully this whole thing will blow over soon and we can forget the Sokovia accords thing ever happened. You can take Emma out of that school and home school her again. Maybe you two could even start traveling. You two could travel across Europe and visit all those fancy art galleries." This seemed to cheer Steve up a bit as he managed to chuckle at Sam's suggestion.
"Fat chance of that ever happening. Emma hates Europe. She said that the French are weak and Germans are too loud." Steve said as he fondly remembered his granddaughter's dislike of Europe. Only Emma could be that unpleasant about Europeans although Emma could usually be unpleasant about everything. There was very few people and places that Emma was actually pleasant about.
"She also said Italians are annoying." Sam added, laughing as he recalled the odd habits of a certain blonde. Steve smiled at the memory of Emma as the two settled down from their reminiscing.
"Maybe we'll go to Asgard or something. Emma seemed interested in going there at one point in time." Steve replied.
"I think she'll really like that." Sam told him and before Steve could say anything he heard Wanda gasp from across the room. Steve and Sam both turned their attention away from each other and looked at the shell shocked brunette who was staring at one of tv screens in surprise. Clint also had a look of shock which was actually quite rare for the archer. Steve then glanced at the tv screen and also widened his eyes once he saw what had Wanda and Clint in such a state of shock.
"An event that could of turned into a potential tragedy took place in Washington D.C. today." An anchorwoman stated as she looked into the camera seriously. The news channel had just been in the background while they had all been chatting amongst each other but now it was the main focus of their attention. "The Washington Monument was struck by an unexplained anomaly that trapped a group of high school students within a collapsed elevator. The decathlon team from Midtown Tech fought for their lives as they remained trapped within an elevator that could've sent them plummeting to their deaths had it not been for two unlikely hero."
Footage that had been taken of the incident then popped up on screen. The footage showed one figure dressed in red and blue climbing up the side of the Washington Monument while another figure dressed in a darker uniform flew towards the top of the Monument. Steve's jaw dropped open as he took a closer look at the figure dressed in the dark outfit. He'd recognize that blonde head of hair from anywhere. Steve just couldn't believe what he was actually seeing.
"Spider-Man and the Viper Assassin came to the rescue earlier today and saved the high school students from what would've been a tragic freak accident in the city of D.C." The anchorwoman then smiled before continuing. "Spider-Man is mainly known as the hero from YouTube as well as his support of Tony Stark's faction in the fight against Captain America's faction. Captain America who is currently public enemy number one in the United States. The other members of Captain America's faction are also wanted for their war crimes."
"Partnered in a partnership that is mystifying many is the Viper Assassin. The Viper Assassin who was a previously instrumental assassin for Hydra. As a former assassin and terrorist, she is credited with the assassinations of almost thirty individuals." The Anchorwoman explained. "The deadly assassin was a known ally to Captain America's faction and even fought against Spider-Man in the battle at the Leipzig/Halle airport in Germany. Although the Viper Assassin has said to have since defected to Tony Stark's faction, the new partnership of Spider-Man and the Viper Assassin is still a huge mystery."
"Hopefully we will see more of this curious superhero partnership in the future." The anchorwoman wrapped up, finishing the topic of the Viper Assassin and Spider-Man. Everyone in the room just stared at the tv screen in shock, not really believing what they were seeing. Steve was still trying to process what the anchorwoman just said.
"What the fuck was that?" Clint asked breathlessly, the first one of them to actually speak.
"Captain, isn't that your granddaughter?" T'Challa asked in his thick accent as he and Scott both walked away from the window and over to where everyone was sitting. Steve swallowed uncomfortably as he still stared at the screen, not understanding what he just saw.
"Yes." He said shortly and it was then that Natasha walked into the room. She had a slightly concerned look on her face which was odd for the redhead. Steve was so used to her either looking stoic or teasing. She really was like Emma sometimes.
"Steve, I saw-" Natasha started to say but Steve immediately interrupted her.
"What the hell, Natasha?!" Steve exclaimed as he glared at the Russian woman. Everyone stared at Steve in shock because they rarely ever saw the positive, easy going super soldier look angry. "I thought you said she was doing fine? I thought you said she was staying out of trouble?"
"She said she was going to school." Natasha told him calmly. "She said that she joined some dork squad and made friends. Emma even said that she was in no way interested in a life of crime fighting… she made that pretty clear."
"Then why am I seeing her on the news with that kid?!" Steve said as he wildly gestured to the television screen.
"Not to mention an especially annoying kid." Sam added. "I met that kid at the airport. Not a fan. I'm also finding it really hard to believe Emma would suddenly be buddy buddy with that guy. She kicked his ass all over that runway." Natasha just rolled her eyes at Sam before returning her attention back to Steve.
"Look, when I talked to her she assured me that she was fine." Everyone raised their eyebrows at that. Yeah, Natasha clearly didn't know Emma that well if she just took Emma's word for it.
"I don't really know this girl that much," Scott said as he walked over to them. "But she didn't seem like the type to be upfront and honest... She really scared me if I'm being honest. Seriously though, I know she's like fifteen and all but I'm terrified of her. I just had a nightmare where she murdered me." Scott seemed a bit reluctant to admit the last part as he looked down at his shoes. Everyone stared at him for a moment before returning to the task at hand.
"So she's deciding to be like you, Steve. I don't see the problem." Clint said nonchalantly. "You should be proud that she's taking after you." Sam nodded in agreement.
"I agree with Clint. Emma can definitely hold her own and I'm glad that she's taking the initiative herself. It really shows how far she's come along." Sam said and Steve just shook his head angrily.
"Don't you get it? I never wanted this for her. I never wanted her to become an Avenger." Steve said bitterly. "She was supposed to have a normal life. Emma was supposed to leave all the super soldier stuff behind."
"If she was supposed to have a normal life then why did you home school her?" Wanda asked Steve curiously. "Why not let her go to a normal high school with normal children her own age like Stark did?" Steve glared at her.
"I have my reasons." Steve said shortly before Natasha sighed heavily.
"You're being dramatic, Steve." Natasha told him honestly. "I'm sure this is just a one time thing. It sounded to me like her dork squad was stuck in the elevator and she helped get them out. Emma's not the type to go out of her way to look for people to save. Trust me, I know."
"What about that kid… the one who calls himself Spider-Man?" Steve inquired as he relaxed back into his seat. He was feeling slightly comforted by his friends' words.
"Stark probably just made him her babysitter or something." Clint told him. "Stark most likely wants to make sure that she doesn't murder anyone."
"I agree with Mr. Barton, Captain." T'Challa said, his tone calming as usual. "Your granddaughter will be fine. She seems like a very capable young woman." Steve was about to nod his head in agreement and thank his friends for their words when the Anchorwoman on the news started reporting on a different story.
"In other news, a very political protest took place downtown D.C. yesterday when a group of protesters took part in the Sokovia Accords March. The Sokovia Accords March which is a protest against the Sokovia Accords as well as Captain America's faction being deemed as war criminals. The March was also a demonstration against the government and Tony Stark who sponsored the Sokovia Accords." The Anchorwoman said before showing a couple of clips from the protest.
"The March showed people from all over the world coming together and joining the protest. Even young protesters as shown in this new clip where a teenage girl is shown voicing her opinion." Steve and the others looked up in surprise once more when they saw the clip on the screen. It was none other than Emma Rogers marching at the front of the crowd of protesters. She wasn't dressed as the Viper Assassin this time but just seemingly as herself as she donned a t-shirt with Sam's picture on it which said 'Free Falcon'.
"As we march through Washington today, let us not forget who's really to blame for Sokovia." Emma said as she began to give a speech through a megaphone. "Tony Stark. A spoiled billionaire who thinks he knows better than everyone else… a man who created Ultron because he was playing god. Ultron who caused mass destruction in Sokovia and who could've done worse if it hadn't been for the other Avengers cleaning up Tony Stark's mess. What happened in Sokovia wasn't the Avengers fault… no, it was Tony Stark's fault. Tony Stark is a man who's made his fortune off profiting from war. He should be tried and convicted for his war crimes. Tony Stark: The War Lord!"
The crowd cheered as Emma finished her speech and Steve was left staring at the screen with a blank expression on his face. The anchorwoman then went on to talk about Tony Stark selling Avengers Tower but Steve just couldn't find himself to care. The others carefully looked at Steve, trying to determine his state of mind. He clenched his jaw tight and some of the others winced because that was never a good sign. Steve just shook his head before glaring right at Natasha.
"Dramatic?" Steve questioned and Natasha actually looked guilty for once. It was clear that Emma might not have been as well as Natasha had insisted. It wasn't like there was anything any of them could do about… at least not for a while. Emma would just have to handle life on her own in the mean time. The only problem was that they didn't know who was handling life on their own worse.
Steve or Emma.