Author's Note: Okay, so this was just going to be one chapter but I was forced to split it up into two parts because it's like 16,000 words long. I'm almost done with Part II so that should be out tonight or tomorrow. If I can't finish it by tonight I'll probably publish it tomorrow night because I still have some last minute Christmas shopping to do. I was completely stuck on what to get my brother because he orders a ton of stuff from Amazon all the time so I have no idea what he has or doesn't have. I actually decided to get him Fargo season 3 so that's what I'm looking for tomorrow. My brother is literally the hardest person to shop for.

About the Last Jedi...I'm not going to spoil anything but I have to say that I really liked it. As a shipper of Reylo the movie was really satisfying for me. I heard some people in the row behind me that made it really clear that they weren't fans of Reylo so don't know what their problem is. The Last Jedi left me wanting more but every Star Wars movie does that to me. The new characters were really cool to see too and I was glad to see more Poe. I've even developed an idea for a Poe Dameron/OC fanfic but I probably won't work on it for a while. I'm mainly just focused on Some Things Never Sleep and Yours to Keep, Yours to Lose right now.

I also completely forgot to even mention the Avengers: Infinity War trailer last chapter. That movie is going to be so amazing! Peter in the new Spider-Man suit! His Spidey senses on full display! This is going to be incredible. I'll probably make an AU to Some Things Never Sleep that follows the movie storylines after Homecoming but not for a while. Steve with a beard also blows my mind. I can just think of a ton of smart ass comments Emma would make about Steve's beard. She might steal from the Punisher hipster beard jokes. lol. Maybe that'll still happen within this storyline. I guess you will just have to see.

I'm just going to mention how exciting my Christmas vacation has been(I mean that sarcastically of course). I've been binge-watching Law and Order: SVU from start to finish. I'm currently on season eight but I've also seen season 14-17. Barba is one of my favorite characters on the show. I weirdly have a huge crush on him.

I also binge watched Godless. It's this western mini series on Netflix which is one of the best recent westerns I've ever seen. Westworld doesn't count as a western in my opinion since it's more science fiction than western. Godless is really amazing and I highly recommend it if you love westerns or just something different. Michelle Dockery was a badass in it and Jeff Daniels was also an incredible villain. Sam Waterson was in it surprisingly enough. Wasn't expecting that. So as you can see...my Christmas vacation has been pretty average.

I just want to express how much I want to see Shape of Water. It's directed by one of my favorite directors of all time and it's the movie you never knew you always wanted. Del Toro is a genius. It's only playing in Seattle which is kind of stupid but I guess I'll just wait see it. I wanted to see it so bad that I was willing to go see it instead of The Last Jedi and that's saying a lot.

crazyman844: I'm American and I've never been to a Homecoming dance either or even prom. I was super awkward and anti-social in high school. I don't really have any regrets but I probably will in twenty years or so. At least I get to live through Emma in this story. I think Emma will start paying more attention to the advice Natasha gave her shortly. She was just really terrified but she'll eventually grow more used to the idea of having feelings for Peter and accepting those feelings.

Ariel-Sarina-Jen: I actually spent like two hours looking through different dresses that Emma could wear for Homecoming and finally found one online. I wanted to post a link to it but fanfiction wouldn't let me post it so I figured the description would be enough.

Spawn Hades: Peter's probably going to put those feelings aside during the upcoming confrontation with the Vulture. He definitely won't forget about Ned and Emma going to the dance together though. It's something he'll probably have to eventually discuss with both Emma and Ned.

Agent Hill: I think you'll really love this chapter and the next so stay tuned.

Cabrera1234: I'm not sure if I'll do that but it's definitely something to consider. If that were to happen it wouldn't be a focus point in the story although I think Ned completely deserves a girlfriend.

Thanks for all the reviews. Sorry for not answering all of them but I just really want to get this chapter out to you guys. Let me know what you think.

Just a little note for this chapter by the way...TCM stands for Turner Classic Movies. It's a channel that plays classic movies 24/7. I don't know whether or not some people might not know what that means.

2014

"See, I told you the ending's terrible." Steve Rogers told his granddaughter as they sat on the couch in the penthouse of Avenger's tower. Dozens of snacks were littered across the coffee table from Clint and Sam's earlier Xbox session. Steve and Emma had helped themselves to a bag of chex mix as they watched a film on TCM together.

"I don't think so." Emma replied as her eyes remained focused on the black and white movie. Steve raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the thirteen year old curiously.

"No?" He questioned.

"It's realistic. Rick and Ilsa were never going to end up together." Emma explained during the credits of Casablanca, a classic film starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. "Ilsa was married to another man…that man also happened to be the leader of a resistance. Laszlo needed his wife more than Rick did." Steve gave Emma an amused look.

"Are you a romantic, Emma?" Steve asked and Emma scoffed.

"Of course not. I'm just looking at this from a logical perspective. What good would it do anyone if Ilsa left her husband for Rick?" Steve shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, Rick and Ilsa would be happy together. That's worth something, isn't it?"Steve said to her and Emma shrugged.

"They'd be happy for a little while but Rick's right. She'd just end up resenting him eventually and he'd resent her in return." Emma told him truthfully.

"So you actually liked the ending?" Steve asked in disbelief. "Figures…this was Bucky's favorite movie too. Well, he also loved the Maltese Falcon but Casablanca really spoke to the romantic in him."

"Romantic?" Emma questioned.

"Bucky always had a thing for damsels in the distress. He just could never find the right dame to settle down with." Steve answered and Emma rolled her eyes.

"I guess that was the way of thinking back then. Girls always had to have a Humphrey Bogart to save them." Emma said bitterly. "Men were turned off by anyone other than someone as delicate and fragile as Ingrid Bergman. What's attractive about a woman that doesn't need saving?"

"I never thought that way." Steve said quietly and Emma gave him a doubtful look.

"Never?" Steve just shook his head.

"No. How could I think that way about women when I was delicate and fragile myself? Your grandmother was the strongest person I ever knew… man or woman and I respected that about her."Steve informed Emma, giving the teenager a lot to think about. Emma exhaled as she returned her gaze to the television.

"Well, you're a rare sort, Steve. I mean…just look at Stark and Thor." Emma told him. "Pepper and Jane are about as helpless as they come. They're both incredibly intelligent but otherwise helpless."

"Are you worried that a boy won't like a girl who can handle herself…that no one would ever like you?" Steve teased and Emma glared at him.

"Don't be stupid." Emma hissed but Steve didn't look at all bothered by her cold glare. He gave her another amused smile as he affectionately rubbed her shoulder. Emma stiffened but she didn't remove his hand from her shoulder.

"Emma you don't need to be Ingrid Bergman because let's face it…you're Bogart through and through. You're the hero of your own story… just like your grandmother. People are just going to have to accept that about you." Steve lectured and Emma just stared at him, not knowing whether or not to take him seriously.

"I'm no Bogie, Steve, and I'm definitely not a hero. I'm more like the Vincent Price or Bela Lugosi of my own story." Emma told him and Steve just gave her a sad look. He hated the way she talked about herself sometimes. He wanted to say that it was self loathing but Steve didn't want to think that a thirteen year old would wallow in their own self loathing.

"You're more like Bogie than you realize, Emma."

Present Day

"Emma? Emma?" A voice echoed in her mind and it sounded quite like Steve's voice. "We'll be together again. I promise."

"Emma? We're at the school…are you alright?" Emma immediately snapped out of the flashback as she realized that the car had stopped. She was sitting in the backseat of Darcy's car and next to Ned who looked quite concerned. Emma looked out the window and realized that they really had arrived at the school. It was dark as she watched students walk up the steps into the school, dressed in their respective suits and Homecoming dresses. Darcy and Jane also looked quite concerned with Emma who seemed pretty absentminded. That was unlike her, Darcy observed. The blonde seemed to be in her own little world.

"I'm fine…just trying to mentally prepare myself for the shit show we're about to enter." Emma said sarcastically and everyone knew that the blonde was more than fine. Darcy and Jane had picked both Emma and Ned up from the restaurant just a short while ago and Darcy had driven them to the dance. Something that was obvious to Darcy was the fact that Emma had been oddly quiet during the whole entire car ride. From what she had heard from Ned, dinner went well so Darcy didn't know what Emma's problem was. The teenager was definitely acting stranger than usual.

"Yeah, she sounds fine." Jane said as she rolled her eyes. Darcy didn't really seem to think so but she knew better than to question Emma in front of Ned and Jane. Darcy turned around in her seat to look at Emma, concern in her eyes.

"Do you need us to pick you guys up after the dance?" Darcy asked her but Emma just shook her head softly.

"No, we'll be fine. I'll take a cab home." Emma replied.

"My mom's picking me up after the dance." Ned told them nonchalantly. Darcy just nodded, accepting their answers. It wasn't like she was worried at all about Emma being alone in the city at night. This was Emma Rogers after all. No rapist or mugger was going to gain the upper hand against Emma.

"You sure, Emma? We wouldn't mind waiting around for you until the dance is over…Jane's boyfriend is currently off planet and my boyfriend is non-existent so as you can see we don't have lives." Darcy told Emma but the blonde wasn't about to change her mind anytime soon. No, changing her mind would ruin her plan. Her plan was actually quite simple. She would go back to the townhouse after the dance but she wouldn't let Darcy or Jane know that she was there. Emma would climb up the fire escape to her bedroom window that she had left open. She would then change out of her silly dress and shoes into something sensible before grabbing her packed backpack. Only then would Emma leave the townhouse for good and New York soon after that. Emma would probably get the first flight out to Berlin where her cousin still worked. Through Sharon, Emma could probably get into contact with Natasha which would eventually lead her to Steve and the others hopefully. That was Emma's plan and she was determined to stick to it.

"Go home and get some rest. Don't wait up for me." Emma said in an tone that reminded both Darcy and Jane of Steve Rogers. It was a tone full of authority. "I'll try and be home before midnight."

"My mom could drop you off, Emma." Ned suggested and Emma looked back at him. That wasn't what she wanted at all. Emma knew what she had to do and nothing was about to get in her way.

"I want to stop by the bodega to get an Arizona tea. I'll need one to unwind after tonight." Emma informed Ned, displaying her usual amount of disdain for the dance. Nothing seemed off or unusual about that statement in particular. That was Emma on a pretty average day.

"Be careful then." Darcy finally said as she reluctantly accepted Emma's answer. Emma just nodded as Ned opened the car and hopped out. She scooted down the seat to follow him but paused right before she stepped out into the cold night air. Emma looked back over at Darcy, a small smile on her face…a smile that actually reached her eyes. It was a rare sight to see.

"Take care of yourself, Darcy." Emma said, her tone full of affection. Darcy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, not sure what Emma meant by her odd statement. It was truly an odd thing to say before going to a school dance.

"See you in the morning then, Em." Darcy replied, not knowing what else to say. Emma just gave her a nod before also sliding out of the car. Ned offered her a hand which she reluctantly took as he did the gentlemanly thing to do and helped her out of the car. Normally Emma would push his hand away but she didn't feel like fighting with anyone right now.

As Ned led her up the steps to the school building, Emma didn't dare look back. She was afraid if she looked back at Darcy than she wouldn't be able to look away. Emma instead focused on the pounding music coming from inside the dance as numerous students walked alongside them, all excited for the night ahead. She felt excited as well but not at the prospect of a school dance. No, she felt anxious to leave town and finally start tracking down Steve and the others…to start a new chapter of her life.

"Wow, Emma, this is so awesome." Ned remarked as they finally entered the school building. The lighting was dim in the room as the constant flash of colors hit them in face from the strobe light. Emma heard 'Blow Your Mind(Mwah)' by Dua Lipa blasting through the speakers as Ned continued to look around the dance in awe. Sky's the Limit was the apparent theme of the dance and Emma thought that was pretty lame and unoriginal.

"If you say so." Emma muttered as she stuck close to Ned's side.

"I can't believe you actually showed up to this thing." Emma heard Michelle say just as she turned around to face her friend. Michelle smirked at Emma as she crossed her arms, looking quite smug as she did so.

"Me? What about you? I didn't think this was your scene." Emma told her as she analyzed the pretty yellow dress her friend was wearing. Michelle just shrugged.

"Well, Abe asked so I figured it wouldn't hurt." Michelle replied and Emma nodded at Abraham who stood at Michelle's side.

"Hey, Abe." Emma greeted and the dark skinned boy smiled kindly at her.

"Emma, it's so good to see you." Abraham said in response. Emma always liked Abraham and didn't find him to be annoying like most teenage boys. He was actually pretty pleasant for another fifteen year old.

"Hey, guys! Guess who brought something to get this party started!" Charles Murphey announced as he came strutting over to them. Emma rolled her eyes at the sight of the boy with glasses. Great, just what she needed right before she left for good…to be annoyed by Flash's henchman. The kid was almost irritating as Flash himself. Emma was just glad that Flash didn't appear to be around yet. She noticed the discreet flask Charles managed to keep hidden inside his suit. Really? A flask of alcohol? Was he supposed to be Kenickie from Grease or something?

"If someone catches you with that you'll be expelled." Abraham said in a worried tone but Charles just snorted, not seeming to care in the slightest. Emma was then reminded why high school wasn't for her. It was because high school was filled with idiots like Charles and Flash.

"Relax, Abe. Don't be a spoil sport." Charles replied as he rolled his eyes. "Do any of you want a sip? It's straight out of my dad's liquor cabinet."

"Yes, because getting wasted at Homecoming is every girl's dream." Michelle said sarcastically as she eyed the flask with disdain.

"Fine. Be that way." Charles then waggled his eyebrows suggestively as he smirked at Emma. Emma struggled to not give him a look of disdain similar to the one Michelle gave him. "What about you, Emma? You feel exceptionally naughty tonight?"

"No thank you. I'd rather not get grounded for life." Emma responded which seemed like a polite enough response except for the coldness of her tone. Ned looked at Emma in confusion.

"Suit yourself." Charles said as he then walked away to return to whatever snake hole he crawled out of. Emma was glad he was gone because she didn't think she could survive the night if she had to continue to be in close proximity of that idiot. Ned gave his blonde companion a look of surprise as he tried to understand what she said to Charles.

"I never thought you were the type to care about getting grounded." Ned said under his breath, making sure that only Emma could hear him and no one else. Emma just raised an eyebrow at him before shaking her head.

"I'm not but it's not like there's a point in someone like me drinking alcohol anyways." Emma said vaguely and Ned furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Ned questioned and Emma rolled her eyes as she sighed.

"Do the math, Ned. I'm not exactly a normal human…getting drunk is not something I'm capable of." Ned's eyes widened as he stared at Emma in shock.

"You can't get drunk?!" He exclaimed, causing a bunch of people to look oddly at the pair…Michelle looked particularly bothered by Ned's weird statement. Emma glared at the loud teenager before he gave her a sheepish look as he calmed down.

"What do you think?" Emma sneered as she looked away from Ned and observed the growing crowd inside the dance. An excited look on Ned's face continued to grow as he looked at Emma in amazement, ignoring her hostile tone.

"Can you imagine how well you'd do in college? Think of all the drinking games you could win!" Ned said in awe of all the possibilities of Emma's super soldier abilities. Emma could feel the corners of her mouth quirk up in a smile as she couldn't help but glance at Ned in amusement. She snorted as she shook her head.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly what Hydra had in mind when they injected me with the serum." Emma replied sarcastically and Ned shrugged.

"You never know." Emma shook her head once more but this time in disbelief. She couldn't believe she actually agreed to go with him to this thing. Even so…Emma didn't know if she could really regret it either. Emma had never done something so normal and teenagerish in her life. This was probably the first time her life had been more like a Molly Ringwald movie than a Matt Damon movie. Although after tonight her life was back to being a Matt Damon movie which was fine with her. Emma had grown accustomed to the kind of life she led many years ago but for some reason she was still scared and she knew exactly why. Emma was going to be alone with herself for the first time in years and she was slightly scared of that. Even when Steve left Emma was never truly alone because she had Peter even if she didn't want to admit she had relied on his…friendship.

Emma looked at the floor sadly as she thought of the brown eyed boy. She had really hurt him and Emma regretted being so cruel but she was afraid it was too late to make amends with Peter anyways. Emma didn't really have many friends but deep down she considered Peter to be a close friend. There was some things that Emma told Peter that she hadn't told anyone else which proved the power he already had over her. There was nothing that terrified her more than the feelings she had for him. Emma knew that if she stayed a moment longer that she would inevitably fall in love with Peter. One of the many things Emma had promised to herself was to never fall in love and she was quite intent on keeping that promise.

"Peter…nothing is more important than family." Adrian Toomes told Peter as Peter looked back at Liz's father with wide eyes. It completely took Peter by surprise when he realized that the Vulture and Liz's dad were the same person and now the situation was even worse because Liz's dad seemed to know who he was too. It didn't take long for Toomes to put all the pieces together although Liz had unintentionally helped him a lot with figuring out Peter's superhero alter-ego. The only thing that gave Peter hope was that Liz's dad wouldn't figure out who the Viper Assassin really was and Peter desperately hoped that it would stay that way.

"You and Blondie saved my daughter's life. I could never forget something like that so I'm gonna give you both one chance. Are you ready?" Toomes said to Peter, a fleeting look of gratitude on his face. Peter wasn't buying into it…he knew what was coming. "You walk through those doors, you forget any of this happened…and don't you ever, ever interfere with my business again."

"You can even give your assassin buddy, whoever the hell she is, this very same message. I'm sure she'll be especially interested in hearing it." The look on the older man's face had since darkened as he threatened Peter and then Emma by extension. Peter just stared at the man, feeling bits of rage and fear wash over him as Toomes threatened both himself and Emma.

"Let me also just say this…" Toomes added as he glared at the teenage boy. "If you do interfere in my business again I'll kill you and everybody you love…starting with Blondie and I'll make you watch her suffer and die before I do the same to you."

Peter felt his heart race against his chest as he panicked over what Toomes just said. He had never felt this scared in his life and he wasn't scared because Toomes threatened him…no, he was scared because Toomes threatened Emma. His threat was so vivid that Peter couldn't help but imagine Emma in that situation. He also couldn't help but imagine her being tortured just like what Hydra did to her before. This was all his fault, Peter thought to himself. Liz's dad would've never found out about him if he had just been a better liar. If Emma was there she never would've let him make a mistake like that. Peter suddenly felt disheartened because Emma wasn't there at all and he was on his own on this one.

"That's what I'll do to protect my family. Do you understand?" Toomes said and Peter was ripped out of his thoughts. He looked down at the floor of the car and quietly nodded as he tried to think about how Emma would act in a situation like this.

"Hey. I just saved your life. Now what do you say?" Toomes bullied, demanding that Peter answer him. Peter knew exactly how Emma would react in a situation like this. She wouldn't be afraid at all…she would be strong and she'd look Toomes directly in the eyes without any fear whatsoever. With that in mind, Peter immediately lifted his head and locked eyes with Liz's dad.

"Thank you." Peter said shortly and Toomes stared back at him.

"You're welcome." Toomes replied, satisfied with Peter's answer. "Now you go in there and you show my daughter a good time, okay? Just not too good." Toomes smirked at Peter and the young boy could only nod as he discreetly dropped his phone onto the floor of the vehicle. He was already defying the older man's request because this had to end and it had to end tonight. There was too much at stake.

Peter exited the car with a heavy weight resting upon his shoulders as he closed the car door behind him. The car drove away a second later and it was almost like Peter was in a sort of trance. The threat Toomes made kept echoing through his mind as he made his way up the steps into the school building. This was the most dangerous situation he had ever been in and there was so much to lose. Not even the fight at the airport had given Peter such a strong feeling of apprehension and fear.

Peter paused in front of one of the doors and looked through the window at the crowd of his classmates. They were all dancing and seemingly carefree as they laughed and had the time of their lives. It wasn't until Peter's eyes landed on a particular area of the room that he felt his heart nearly stop. Standing amongst his friends was none other than Emma Rogers who was casually chatting with Michelle and Abraham while Ned joined in every once and a while. She was beautiful just like in the picture Ned had posted earlier but Peter had no time to dwell on Emma's beauty as he stared at her.

His feelings of anger and betrayal over her previous actions immediately vanished the second he laid eyes on her. The petty fight they had the other day didn't even seem to matter to him anymore as he saw Emma being the normal teenage girl she always struggled to portray herself as. Toomes meant to harm and kill Emma and it was all Peter's fault. He had given himself up to Toomes, although unintentionally, and now he had made Emma a target as well. It was only a matter of time before Toomes found out about the Viper Assassin's real identity too. Toomes could badger Liz with a couple of innocent questions and Liz was sure to reveal the name of a blonde girl Peter had been spending so much time with. Toomes would inevitably put two and two together. Peter put Emma at risk which was something he had never wanted to do.

Peter didn't care how Emma felt about him. He simply could not let Toomes kill her if there was something he could do about it. Emma had been through so much in her life and she didn't deserve any of this…she deserved a long, happy life without having to deal with the consequences of his stupidity. Peter couldn't imagine living in a world where Emma didn't also exist. His heart would break if anything were to ever happen to her just because she was trying to do the right thing. No, this was going to end once and for all.

"Come on, Emma, won't you dance with me?" Ned pleaded with Emma as he watched all the other students make their way onto the dance floor. Emma sighed as she looked at Ned in dismay.

"No." She said shortly.

"But that new Selena Gomez song is playing." Ned whined and Emma rolled her eyes.

"Even more of a reason to leave this stupid dance." Emma snapped, becoming quickly tired of Ned's constant whining. "If I have to listen to one more Selena Gomez or Taylor Swift song then I'm going to pour gasoline into my ears and light a match."

"What's wrong with Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez?" Ned questioned and Emma looked at him like he was stupid.

"Beside the fact that they have their own weird, creepy cult…their music fucking sucks. It literally melts your brain." Emma said bitterly as she glared at the DJ. "Can't this DJ play something good like Haim or the Killers? I mean if he has to go the pop route at least play Lorde or Sia."

"I should've known you'd be the alternative type." Ned said, sounding defeated. Emma was about to retort when she noticed the boy, who was the very center of her problems, enter the dance. Anything else Ned might've said to her probably fell on deaf ears as she stared at Peter Parker. Her heart rate increased slightly as she saw him in his suit, looking more fashionable than Emma had ever seen him look before. It killed Emma to even think this but even she had to admit that Peter looked quite handsome tonight. Who was she kidding? Peter always looked handsome which was something Emma had always noticed about him. There was something about the warmth in those gorgeous brown eyes that always seemed to make her heart beat just a little bit faster whenever he looked at her.

Emma watched as Peter walked across the dance floor, seemingly having a target in mind as he moved. That sinking feeling in her stomach suddenly occurred as she realized who he was searching for. Liz Allan. It wasn't like Emma had the right to feel jealous, after all. She was the one who pushed him away and Peter didn't even know how she felt…if everything went according to plan than Peter would never find out either. One of the few reasons Emma came to this dance was to have one last look at Peter before she left and this was it. Even if the image of him was tainted by him being with another girl.

The blonde former assassin then snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed something odd about Peter. There was something very off about him as he walked towards Liz…he walked slowly across the dance floor with wide eyes as if he were lost or something. His posture also looked immensely tense and Emma spent enough time around him to realize when something was wrong. Peter was like an open book so it was no effort on her part to notice when he was acting strange. Emma narrowed her eyes as he finally stood in front of Liz, the look on his face unchanging.

"Gotta go." Emma heard Peter say to Liz with her enhanced hearing. "I'm sorry. You don't deserve this." Emma furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she heard what Peter said to Liz. All Peter ever dreamed about, in all the time she knew him, was finally going out with Liz Allan yet he was going to ditch her at the Homecoming dance? She watched as he suddenly bolted away from a very confused Liz and headed for the doors in the back. Emma wasn't the only one watching the scene in confusion as she also noticed Ned and Michelle with similar looks of confusion on their faces. She wasn't sure why but she had a really bad feeling about this.

"We need to talk." Emma told Ned as she grabbed his hand and practically dragged him to a more private corner of the building. She knew that Michelle was watching them suspiciously but Emma didn't have time to care about what Michelle found or didn't find suspicious. Something was going on with Peter.

"Ow! Can't you be more gentle?" Ned asked as Emma finally let go of him and he massaged his wrist soothingly. Emma didn't even look apologetic as a very serious look came over her face.

"What was that?" She asked randomly and Ned gave her a confused look.

"What was what?" Ned questioned and Emma glared at him.

"The scene with Parker? What's going on with him?" Emma continued to question and Ned just shook his head.

"I don't know."

"Well, something's going on with him." Emma responded. She knew something was very wrong with the way Peter just acted and she needed to figure out if Peter knew something she didn't. "Has he been acting weird lately? Does he know something I don't?"

"Look, the only reason Peter's been acting weird is because of you." Ned said, shrugging his shoulders and Emma groaned. That certainly wasn't what she wanted to know and it was clear to her that Ned didn't know anything. Something was clearly going on with Peter and she knew better than to think that it was just the usual teenage drama. This probably had something to do with Birdman and since Peter and her weren't on speaking terms he most likely didn't feel the need to inform her. This kid was pure trouble and always seemed to get in the way of her plans. She was just about to leave the dance once and for all before leaving the country all together but Peter always seemed to have a way of ruining her plans. Emma knew that if he was in trouble that she could never just walk away. She was going to help him even if the survival instinct in her was telling her to run. See…this is why she wanted to leave in the first place. Forming an attachment was already clouding her judgement and Emma had never even so much as kissed Parker before.

"Follow me." Emma suddenly ordered as she began to head for the same doors Peter had went through just a couple minutes before. Ned stood there, staring at the blonde in bewilderment before he finally made any move to follow her. Emma could feel watchful eyes on both their backs as Michelle continued to stare at them but at this point she no longer cared. She pushed the doors open harshly as she stormed down the hall.

"Where are we going?" Ned questioned.

"Just follow my lead and you'll be fine." Emma told him but somehow Ned didn't feel reassured by her statement. Her eyes finally landed on the set of lockers that Peter and her had originally hidden their spare suits under. She easily grasped the bottom of the lockers and lifted them up only to reveal her spare Viper Assassin suit that she left there. Emma also noticed how Peter's suit was missing which confirmed that she was right. Peter was definitely up to something. She quickly grabbed her suit and mask from the lockers before letting the lockers fall back into place.

"Hold this." She told Ned as she practically threw her clutch at him before bending down to take her pumps off. Ned could only watch in confusion, not knowing what was going through Emma's mind.

"What are you doing?" He asked her.

"I'm changing into my suit. Peter needs our help." Emma replied as she kicked her pumps off to the side. "Now unzip me." Ned's eyes immediately widened in shock.

"What?!" He exclaimed and Emma rolled her eyes, trying not to be too frustrated with the teenage boy.

"Unzip me…come on, we don't have much time." Emma pressed and Ned hesitantly grabbed her zipper as he looked anywhere other than Emma. His fingers trembled as he unzipped her dress and as soon as he was done he turned around to give Emma some privacy.

"I can't believe you're doing this in the hallway." Ned muttered as he focused his eyes on the clock on the wall. Emma immediately pulled her arms out of the sleeves of the dress before letting it fall to the ground. She stepped out of the pretty green dress before immediately grabbing the suit and replacing her dress with her old Hydra issued Viper Assassin costume. Even with Stark's previous altercations to the suit, it still fit her very snug as she zipped it up from the front.

"I'm all dressed now so you can stop being an infant and look." Emma told Ned as the boy turned back around. She immediately grabbed the clutch from his hands and rifled through it's contents. Emma placed her Stark phone in one of the compartments around the utility belt before grabbing a hold of her grandfather's dog tags and putting them on, hiding them under her suit. Lastly, she grabbed her grandfather's compass and placed it in another one of the compartments on the utility belt. Emma grasped the familiar looking muzzle mask that Hydra had made her wear and put it on. It covered only the bottom part of her face unlike the mask Stark had made for her which covered the top portion of her face.

"You look scary but I guess that's the point, right?" Ned said as he looked at the former assassin in awe. She did look pretty terrifying and he didn't fail to notice the impression of the Hydra symbol which had probably been left behind by a patch that Emma had long since torn off. The suit didn't look nowhere as cool as the suit Tony Stark had made for her but it did it's job in making Emma look intimidating. "What about the top part of your face?"

"Excuse me?" Emma inquired, not sure what Ned was referring to.

"You're still pretty recognizable." Ned told her and Emma didn't look too worried as she shrugged.

"Well, there's an easy way to fix that." Emma replied before she placed her fingertips over her eyes and quickly smeared the smokey eye make-up she had been wearing all around her eyes. When she was finished, Emma looked something like a racoon with all the eye make-up she had smeared but it was clear that no one would recognize her.

"Woah." Ned said and Emma smirked.

"A genius make-up look that my father made famous." Emma joked to herself. Ned didn't really understand what she meant by that but he didn't have anytime to question her as she took the dress, pumps, clutch purse, and easily hid them underneath the lockers just like she had hidden her suit.

"Let's go." Emma told him as she immediately started walking down the hall. "It's time to save Peter's ass and figure out what he's not telling us."

"And just how do we do that?" Ned asked her as he struggled to keep up with her. Emma barely spared him a glance as she set her sights on the door with the exit sign above it.

"Just be quiet and follow my lead. Everything else will work itself out." Emma replied and Ned decided to just give up and listen to her. She probably knew what she was doing and he was just tired of constantly trying to understand what went on inside her head. Emma paused in front of the door and glanced outside the window. She needed to see what they were up against and how much trouble Peter was in. It immediately became clear to Emma what was going on as she saw the familiar henchman of Birdman walking around outside with that alien enhanced weapon he seemed so fond of. She clenched her jaw in annoyance before quietly opening the door and signaling for Ned to be quiet as well.

The idiot henchman was too distracted by chasing Peter around the school buses that he hadn't even noticed Emma and Ned walk down the steps into the outside area of the school. Emma immediately signaled for Ned to follow her and she only paused when she hid behind one of the buses for cover. Ned made sure to stick close to Emma's side as he followed her. It was then, as he hid with Emma, behind one of the buses that he noticed a familiar looking contraption on the ground. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Look, Emma." Ned whispered to her. She glared at him and was about to berate him for not being quiet when she followed his gaze, noticing what he was staring at. Peter's webshooters. Shit…well, Peter was kind of screwed without his disgusting webbing, wasn't he? Even with his enhanced strength, a hit from that alien weapon was still difficult to go up against. Emma was really putting her life on the line since she didn't have any weapons on her. All she had was her own enhanced strength and reflexes.

"Grab them. Peter's disadvantaged without them." Emma ordered Ned and the teenage boy did as he was told. Emma peeked around the corner of the bus and immediately winced when she heard Peter grunt as the idiotic henchmen hit him with the weapon, sending Peter flying through the inside of one of the school buses. The man grinned as he walked over to the bus and punched it, causing the bus to roll. Emma's gaze hardened as she heard Peter's muffled screams through the rolling vehicle. She felt concerned and worried about how injured Peter might've been but she also felt anger towards the man who hurt Peter in the first place. This guy was going to get it.

No one hurt her spider.

"Stay here." Emma told Ned as she decided to make her move. She didn't wait for Ned to respond as she immediately started stalking over to the man. His back was turned to her, making him completely unaware of her presence as she approached him. Emma was going to make sure he paid for hurting Peter. The look on her face was entirely dangerous and anyone who looked at her would know that the Viper Assassin was not someone to be messed with.

The blonde immediately grabbed him by the shoulders before throwing him at one of the buses with such ease and force that it gave the man whiplash. He cried out in pain as he hit the bus before falling to the ground. He groaned in pain as Emma stalked back over to him with a deadly look in her eyes. She immediately rested her foot against his chest before applying pressure. It was a tactic to keep him from moving as well as to cause him pain. He cried in pain more as Emma kept her foot situated against his chest.

"We meet again, asshole. Hopefully for the last time." Emma said snarkily as she glared at him coldly. He coughed as he struggled against her strength. Peter was still lying on the ground, winded from being thrown through a bus, as he watched Emma. He was in shock that she had even shown up. Hadn't she said that they weren't friends? That she didn't care? Yet, she was still there, coming to his rescue when he needed her most.

"You're just a stupid little girl." He said weakly and Emma bit the inside of her cheek as she struggled not to kill him where he sat. Peter wouldn't like that.

"And you're just a stupid fuckhead playing with things he doesn't understand." Emma retorted. She should've known that the man was only acting slightly more hurt than he actually was. She should've predicted his ploy to attack her when she thought she had the upper hand…Emma honestly should've seen this coming from miles away but she didn't. She was so caught up in her anger over Peter being hurt by this idiot that she noticed a little too late when the idiot lifted the arm with the weapon and hit her in the leg. Emma grunted from the unexpected blast and was sent flying several feet back. Okay…that one was on her. She really should've seen that coming.

Peter immediately felt concern wash over him as he saw Emma now lying on the ground, still trying to recover from the harsh blast from the weapon. He really needed to get up to help her but he was still reeling from his incident with the bus. Feeling desperate to assist Emma, Peter immediately tried and failed to get up from the ground. It was a real struggle as he attempted to find the will to get back up and fight the man. Peter groaned but he was still a little too weak to get up.

"Why did he send you here?" Peter asked as the man walked back over to him. Emma gritted her teeth as she also tried to stand up but her legs felt like jelly after being hit by that stupid weapon.

"Guess you'll never know." The man told him as he smirked at Peter. He lifted the weapon up and was about to to deliver another punch to Peter when something suddenly stopped him. The man, Peter, and Emma all glanced up only to see Peter's webbing attach itself to the weapon. They all stared in bewilderment as a very fearful and shocked looking Ned stood at the other end of the webshooter.

"Nice shot!" Peter exclaimed happily before finding the strength to get back up from off the ground and used the man's surprise to his advantage. He grabbed onto the webbing and immediately yanked the weapon off the man's arm. Peter easily flung the webshooter out of Ned's hand and attached it to his wrist. He didn't waste anytime shooting the man with the webbing which sent him flying into the bus and glued him to the side of the large vehicle.

Peter didn't hesitate in immediately running over to Emma's side and noticed that she was still on the ground, seemingly a bit dazed from being hit by the weapon. His eyes immediately assessed her appearance, looking for any injuries but he didn't see any. It was then that he finally noticed that she had gone back to wearing her old suit just like he had. Peter was immediately taken back by the muzzle looking mask she was wearing and wondered if this was the suit she had worn when she was with Hydra. Probably. He didn't think Mr. Stark would create anything so sinister looking. Still…Peter couldn't seem to stay mad at her especially when she stared at him with those beautiful ocean blue eyes. Under the street lights he could clearly see the flecks of green reflected in them.

"Are you alright?" Peter asked her softly as they locked eyes…or at least when Peter locked eyes with Emma. Emma couldn't see his eyes through the tacky white lensed goggles he was wearing. She stared up at him, feeling very conflicted as she tried to figure out what to say. For the first time in her life she seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Yes…are you?" Emma asked hesitantly and Peter shrugged, smiling from under his mask.

"I was just thrown through a school bus…no big deal." Peter replied and Emma smiled a small smile. He didn't seem to be angry with her and she was glad although this was a pretty tense situation. Peter then offered a hand to her and Emma surprised herself by actually taking his hand. He easily helped her off the ground but she still felt a bit woozy from being hit by the weapon. Peter glanced over her in concern as he placed his hands on either side of her, trying to steady her. Emma's heart raced as she looked at him from under her eyelashes. Her throat was starting to feel increasingly dry and she could even feel herself blush. Luckily it was probably too dark for Peter to notice that she was actually blushing.

"Thank you." Emma murmured. The two stared at each other quietly as they seemed to be trapped in their own little world, seemingly worlds away from the actual danger that was going on right now. It was only when Ned ran over to the pair that they both snapped out of it. Peter immediately removed his hands from her and Emma felt slightly disappointed at the loss of his touch.

"Peter! Emma! Are you guys okay?" Ned asked them hurriedly, his eyes wide with worry. It was then that Peter remembered the danger they were all in and the situation involving Toomes. He gulped as he tried to get back on task. Emma glanced at the idiot glued to one of the buses with Peter's webbing and looked away. She knew how that felt.

"The guy with the wings is Liz's dad." Peter said as he panicked. Emma's immediately forgot the little moment she and Peter just shared as she raised her eyebrows in surprise at what Peter had said.

"What?" Ned asked in surprise and even Emma had to admit that she never saw that one coming. She shook her head in disbelief as she tried to process that new piece of information.

"Wow, I thought the universe really seemed to have it out for me but you have it so much worse." Emma said breathlessly as she looked at Peter. "You really are one of the unluckiest people I know, Peter Parker."

"We've gotta tell Mr. Stark, Emma." Peter told her, ignoring her previous comment of disbelief. He might've thought Emma would give him a look of disdain at the mere mention of Mr. Stark but she surprised him by nodding in agreement. It seemed like this kind of situation forced people to put rivalries and fights aside.

"You're right." Emma agreed. Even she was a bit surprised at herself for agreeing to call Stark for help but what other choice did they have? They now knew the Vulture's true identity and he had to be stopped before anymore damage was done.

"Call Happy Hogan. He's Mr. Stark's head of security and uh…get a computer and track my phone for me." Peter said as he took on the role of authority. Emma admired him a lot for his quick thinking. He even reminded her a bit of her grandfather in that moment. Peter then turned to look back at Emma as he nodded towards the sky. Emma immediately got the hint just as Peter prepared himself to jump onto the lamp post.

"Will you be okay?" Ned asked out of concern as Peter landed on the lamp post and Emma took off into the air, following behind Peter.

"Hurry, we gotta catch him before he leaves town." Peter called back to Ned before he aimed his webshooter across the street and headed off into that general direction thanks to his webbing. Emma flew through the night air, staying close to Peter as they made their way down the street.

"What's the plan, Parker?" Emma asked him, slipping back into their old routine. Peter glanced at her cautiously before answering.

"Remember when you borrowed that car in D.C.?" Peter inquired and Emma immediately understood what he was suggesting as she smirked at him. She must've really rubbed off on him in the time they previously spent together.

"I really like the way you think." Emma responded just as Peter landed on the side of the building and paused. Emma hovered next to him as she noticed he was gazing down at something in the street. She followed his gaze which only allowed her smirk to widen as she noticed what he was looking at. It was a nice looking Audi convertible that was only a little too familiar to Emma's eyes. Emma really loved the way Peter thought.

To be continued...