Author's Note: Sorry it's been forever since I updated. It was just hard figuring out how exactly I wanted to go about writing the next few chapters in the story but after watching Jessica Jones season 2 it put me back in the Marvel state of mind. I didn't think season 2 was as good as the first season because you can't really top a villain like Kilgrave but it was still good. This chapter's a little weird but it's bringing things back to Rumlow and Emma's worsening PTSD. I also want to say that Diego Ugalde will be making a return to the story at some point. The flashback chapter was not the last time we'll be seeing him. There's not really a lot of Michelle, Ned, and the others at the compound in this chapter but everyone will be making more frequent appearances in the next chapter.
Also, I've been listening to two newer artists I've been kind of obsessed with while writing this new chapter. I started listening to Jade Bird several months ago but I've only recently listened to her new song 'Lottery'. She's perfect if you like classic country, Americana, or folk music. I just can't get over how amazing her voice is. I also started listening to this new indie rock band called the Tracks. I saw them in this commercial with SZA and I fell in love with their style. The lead singer has this real fifties classic rock vibe about him that I love. It's also really cool to see Latinos in indie rock and as a Latina myself it's just amazing to see more diversity in the indie rock genre since there's not that much diversity. The Tracks only have a couple songs out so I'm eagerly anticipating when they put out their first album.
Fluid Desert: I'm glad you loved the flashback chapters with Margot and Steven. I know people think they might be irrelevant but they're not. As Part III progresses everyone will see just how much the flashbacks connect to the story's present.
nvnightrider9: I'll definitely be adding some stuff from Black Panther into this story. I know that T'Challa and Shuri will definitely be making an appearance at some point in Part III but I'm not too sure about the other Black Panther characters yet. I want to find a way to add in M'Baku but I don't think it would make sense for the story. Maybe later. I hinted last chapter that Hydra was interested in Vibranium so that's definitely going to be coming up again.
gossamermouse101: Natasha's not going to be showing up in Margot and Steven's flashbacks because she never met them. She didn't join Shield until after Margot and Steven retired. Probably close to the time they died so they never met. Maria Hill might be making an appearance in one of flashbacks but not Natasha. Tony will probably show up in one of the flashbacks too.
glagla60800: Emma and Peter won't show up during the Black Panther storyline but there will mentions of the events of Black Panther within the next couple chapters. I love Martin Freeman in everything! I know what you mean about Shuri. I was kind of shipping her with Bucky too until I found out she's supposed to be a teenager. I think that she, Peter, and Emma could become great friends. Emma would probably be cautious of her being around Peter until she realizes that Shuri isn't a threat. I'm also trying to come up with a scenario in which Clint somehow tells Emma about that conversation he had with her mother. I don't know how she'd react to something like that. She'd probably be disgusted most likely.
artemis7448: There's definitely some differences between Emma and Peter versus Emma's parents but Emma and her father also share a lot of similarities. I think they share a lot of the same fears when it comes to relationships.
Mcduffie145: I thought it would be cute to put in the thing in about how Emma got her name. I also really miss writing Bucky and the others into this story. It's been so long. There's probably still several chapters to go before they can come back but I'm as eager for their return as everyone else is.
Unknown: Glad you liked the last chapter. The chapters are still going to contain fluff but the chapters aren't going to be as focused on fluff as the past few ones have been. This new chapter kind of reintroduces Rumlow back into the story in a more horrifying way. Emma's clearly not coping well with what happened in the past and the future plot of the story is going to be a great test of her strength. More mentally than physically.
MisforMikaelson: A flirty Peter is always fun to write. There's a little bit of a flirty Peter in this chapter so I think you'll like the chapter.
Radioactive88: I really love Margot and Steven too and it kinds of makes me sad to write about them sometimes. The prologue in the story wasn't difficult to write because that was my first time writing them so it didn't bother me kill them off but now it kind of makes me sad. Emma will probably find out some stuff about them through Clint and Tony. Maybe even Fury will fill her in on some stuff. Emma also likes all kinds of classic literature although she favors the Bronte sisters more than Jane Austen. Jane Austen is a little sappy for her but she appreciates the ingeniousness of Jane Austen all the same. Margot and Steven probably won't ever find out that Hydra still exists because they probably would've let Fury in on that if they did but they do come close to finding out which we'll see in future chapters. Tony also wasn't aware of Obadiah giving weapons to Hydra. Pre-Cave Tony always seemed like couldn't be bothered to know a lot about the business dealings of Stark Industries which was why he wasn't aware of a lot of what Obadiah was doing. He was more concerned with drinking, partying, and women back then so he'd be pretty clueless about Obadiah and Hydra. The Vibranium mention was definitely a hint at what's to come concerning Hydra and Wakanda. Hydra's still very interested in Vibranium in the present time of the story which we'll be seeing more of in upcoming chapters. The other clue was the El Dorado mention because I remember Klaw calling Wakanda the real El Dorado and I thought it would be a subtle hint. Everything will begin to piece together in future chapters so just hang tight.
Thanks for all the reviews and I can't believe there's almost 600 favorites on the story. Just to let you know I also posted a poll on who should kill Rumlow on my profile page so if you want to vote on it you can. I know I've discussed the topic before but just in case you didn't leave a review at the time about it.
Thanks and let me know what you think of the chapter.
Emma's line of vision was encompassed by darkness as she walked aimlessly around familiar surroundings. Deep down she knew exactly where she was. The concrete and blood strained floors. The darkness and coldness contained inside the room. No, she knew what this room was to her. The Cold Room. She knew it was the Cold Room because of the chilling temperature and the eerie feeling she got just from being in the room. She swallowed hard because she knew she was back at the Hydra base in Siberia. The smell of death hung in the air and the coldness chilled her right to the bone. The room was only lit by the moonlight streaming in from a small window. She could see the familiar blood stains in the floor wiped clean by some of Hydra's low level agents but no amount of soap or water could wash away all the blood that had been spilled.
A rustling noise coming from the other side of the room immediately got Emma's attention as she looked over in the direction the noise was coming from. Her eyes fell on a door that hadn't been there before. The door was just like all the other doors she remembered being at Hydra. Reinforced steel with a small sliding window at the top and it only locked from the outside. Emma spotted the door handle slowly moving as if someone was trying to get in from the other side. Her eyes widened in fright as her heart pounded against her chest, her chest heaving with fear. Somehow Emma was reverted back to being the scared little girl she used to be as she pressed herself against the wall, trying and failing to get as far away from the door as she could because she knew who was behind it. There was only one person it could be.
The door handle moving then suddenly stopped as the door slowly swung open almost as if it were doing so on it's own. The creaking sent Emma into a panic and she never felt more frightened in her life. She squeezed her eyes closed as she tried to will it all away but even she knew that would never happen. When she didn't hear anything, Emma opened her eyes to see who was standing at the door. There was no one there. An empty doorway was staring back at her as Emma stared at it in bewilderment. It was so odd. She could've sworn someone was trying to get into the room. She stood there for the longest time, beginning to feel relief as she realized that no one was there.
That's when she heard it.
Her relief was short lived when she heard a distinct growling coming from the right of her. Emma breathing became almost labored as she slowly turned her head to the side. Her worst fear came alive as she spotted a dark figure in one corner of the room and she immediately knew who it was. The shadowy figure moved through the darkness and Emma wanted so badly to look away from him. Maybe if she didn't look he'd just go away. It was only when she saw those dark eyes glinting in the moonlight that she realized that she was trembling. She clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly as she remained frozen with fear. As the creature moved away from the corner and walked through the moonlight streaming in from the window, she could see it's unsettling smile. The wolf grinned at her maliciously, his teeth sharp and menacing as saliva pooled down from his mouth. His black fur shone under the moonlight and he might've even looked to be a beautiful animal if Emma didn't know his true form…what lurked behind those dark eyes.
"Princess, you've come." He announced gleefully as if he were happy to see her. His voice was distorted and sinister and Emma moved away from the wall, backing away into another corner of the room so that she could get as far away from him as she could. "I almost thought you wouldn't but here you are."
"G-get away from me." Emma said, stumbling over her words as she continued to try and get away from him. If anything he seemed amused by her actions as he stalked towards her like a predator would stalk it's prey.
"Don't be afraid…it's only me." The wolf said, his tone teasing. Emma backed into a corner harshly, her legs feeling like jelly and she couldn't find the strength in herself to stand up anymore. She slowly slid down the wall as she realized there was no way out.
"I'll k-kill you." Emma said weakly as she attempted to be intimidating. She had always had this ability to intimidate and instill fear in others. It was an ability Emma had always prided herself on. However, now she seemed to forget everything about herself as he stood there grinning at her. He chuckled darkly at her failed attempt to stand up to him.
"No, you won't." He replied and Emma could feel the tears silently streaming down her face. She didn't make any move to run away or escape…she was entirely paralyzed with fear. "Face it, Princess, when it comes down to it you wouldn't kill me. If you killed me you wouldn't have a reason to live anymore. You and I can't survive without each other."
"That's not true." Emma told him, her mouth feeling unusually dry. "The day I kill you will be the best day of my life." He just shook his head at her in amusement and Emma felt angry that he wasn't taking her seriously. It was just like the old days.
"You're not going to kill me. Think about it…all that hate and resentment that boils inside of you is because of me. Everything you are is because of me." The wolf told her and Emma hated the way his lip curled up in amusement when he said that. It was almost like he was mocking her. "If I'm gone you're nothing. You can't survive without hate. You're a cruel and evil girl…the worse of the worst. No one will ever accept you."
"No." Emma said shortly, her voice overcome with emotion but the wolf didn't seem bothered by what she said. He laughed at her.
"You think that boy accepts you?" The wolf questioned, his voice laced with doubt. "You think he'd still love you if he saw your good work up close? No…he'd fear you just like all the others. He'll never understand you like I do." Emma shook her head furiously.
"That's a lie." Emma said in a small voice and felt herself becoming weaker and weaker by the moment. He had her right where he wanted her. Weak and pathetic just like he always knew how to make her. "I'm going to kill you one day and make you pay for everything you've done because you need to die. You need to be gone and you need to cease to exist. I want to kill you and I want to see the look of fear in your eyes when you realize that I won."
Emma thought that she had finally pissed him off…that she had finally gotten a reaction from him. If she had said that back in the day Rumlow would've strapped her to a chair and beat her with a desk lamp until she was unconscious. She expected a similar reaction but was confused when she saw no such thing on his face. He just continued to grin at her in that wolfish way that he always used to. The same grin that terrified her and the same one that still did.
"You don't scare me, Princess." He told her smugly and Emma flinched as he stepped closer to her. "No, I think you're scared of me instead." She could feel his hot breath against her face and it was then that she realized that nothing had changed. She was still the scared, pathetic little girl that she was that day her parents were murdered. He showed up and suddenly all the years she spent practicing intimidation and being without fear vanished. Emma knew that after all this time she wasn't brave…no, she was just arrogant. She was arrogant enough to think that he didn't have any sort of power over her anymore but he did. If he didn't hold anything over her anymore than she wouldn't be this scared. Emma wouldn't be reduced to a sniveling, weak child if she wasn't scared.
"Fuck you. I'm not scared." Emma told him scathingly as she tried to remain calm and collected. However, they both knew that it was all just a façade. He just smirked at her as he chuckled darkly.
"Are you sure about that?" He questioned, seeming very sure of himself and Emma felt sick. She felt like she was going to throw up or cry. Emma didn't want to do that. She didn't want to be vulnerable in front of him of all people. "Why don't you put your new found heroism to the test then if you're not afraid of me?" Emma gave him a slightly bewildered look but he just continued to smirk.
"Kill me." He stated simply and Emma just stared at him.
"What? You're crazy." Emma said and he just continued to smirk at her in that condescending way.
"You already knew that." He said smugly before continuing. "So why don't you do it then? Kill me? It's what you've always wanted, right?"
"Are you kidding me?" Emma said rhetorically. "I've been waiting to kill you my whole life."
"Then do it." He pressed and Emma looked into his dark eyes to try and get a read on him. Like usual she couldn't find anything in those empty, evil eyes of his. Just darkness.
"I will." Emma promised but he didn't look like he believed her.
"I don't think so, Princess." He said doubtfully before his smirk widened. "But I think I know a way I can motivate you." Emma glared at him.
"I'll kill you and I will damn well enjoy every single second of it." Emma hissed as she felt her blood practically boiling in anger. "What will it be, huh? Shall I snap your neck? I could do to you what Reagan did in the Exorcist. I wonder how many times your head could go around like that before it would fall off? How about I stab you one hundred and seventeen times…one for every beating you ever gave me. There's always a good old fashioned decapitating. I've never decapitated anyone before but I'm all for trying new things." He still didn't look scared by Emma's long list of threats. That frustrated Emma more than anything because she felt utterly powerless and Emma hated feeling powerless. It looked like nothing she ever did could make him fear her the way she always wanted him to fear her. Her life long dream had been to see him at her feet begging for mercy but it was clear to her that he wasn't likely to ever do that.
"Fine. If you're so hell bent on killing me then just do it. Stop talking about it." He told her, his smirk unwavering. It was then something changed in the atmosphere of the room. A bright light appeared at the other side of the room, coming from behind the now closed door. Emma's eyes were drawn to the sight as the light appeared to have an almost orange glow. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"What is that?" She asked, seeming unsure and a bit cautious at the sight.
"Well, you haven't killed me yet so I figure I could speed things up a little bit." He told her before pointedly looking at the door again. Emma noticed that smoke had begun to waft through the room, coming from underneath the door. It was then that she realized what it was.
A fire.
"A fire?" Emma questioned sarcastically. "You think I'm afraid of a fire?" The wolf didn't look dismayed by her sarcasm as he grinned at her.
"No but I think you might be more concerned for your little friends." He said tauntingly and it was then that she started hearing voices coming from the other side of the door. A horrified look entered her eyes as she stared at the door. It wasn't the smoke and fiery glow that haunted her either. It was the people who were speaking.
"Emma!" Rhodey.
"Emma, please!" Bruce.
"There's no plausible way for us to vanquish the fire. You must hurry." Vision.
"Help us!" Wanda.
"We're trapped and there's no way out. He set the whole base on fire! Come on, Em!" Sam.
Emma just stared wide eyed at the door where all the voices were coming from…the voices of her friends. It was them as clear as day. There was no mistaking their voices as they screamed in terror at her to help them.
"Emma! Hurry!" Natasha.
"If you don't hurry up we're all going to die!" Clint.
"Mini Cap, this guy's closed off the exit real tight. It doesn't look like we're going to be getting out of here on our own. It sure would be nice if you could speed things along and get us the hell out of this dump." Tony.
"Lady Emma, the fire is growing! We need your help!" Thor.
Emma continued to stare at the door as she listened to their cries for help. They sounded so real and they sounded so frightened. She just had to help them. If she waited any longer they'd all die in the fire. Emma had let her family die once before but she couldn't let this family die too. She'd never forgive herself if she did. So Emma mustered up all the courage she could before getting herself up from the ground. She could no longer see the wolf that had just been in front of her. He must've ventured off in her distracted state but Emma had no time to worry about a stupid wolf. The blonde quickly began to walk off into the direction of the door but she barely made it half way across the room when she was stopped. The wolf jumped out in front of her causing Emma to flinch in surprise. His dark eyes were narrowed into a glare as he growled at her, snapping his teeth at the same time. Emma watched him in fright as he slowly began to smirk at her.
"Where do you think you're going, young lady?" The wolf questioned and Emma forced herself to remain calm as she looked at him. Deep breaths, she told herself, deep breaths.
"To save my friends." Emma told him confidently but deep down they both knew that she was terrified. Her heart pounding against her chest was evidence enough of that. It didn't matter how steady she kept her voice…she was still scared of him at the end of the day. The wolf only chuckled at Emma, practically mocking her.
"Are you now?" He asked her, his tone laced with doubt. "Do you really think you can save your friends? You can't even save yourself."
"I don't give a fuck what you think. Now get out of my way." Emma hissed at him but the wolf made no indication that he was going to move.
"If you're going to save your friends then you'll have to get through me." He told her suddenly and Emma just stared at him in shock. The wolf continued to smirk when he saw her reaction. "Yes, that's right. You're going to have to kill me if your friends ever want to live to see another day." Emma glared at him.
"You think it won't be easy killing you? Trust me, it will." Emma told him, sounding very sure of herself but like always he never seemed to believe her.
"Then do it." The wolf told her. "If your friends are so important to you than kill me. Kill me, Emma. Kill me. Snap my neck, rip my head off, shoot me…stab me until I'm so disfigured they'll never be able to identify the body. You know you want to." Emma swallowed hard as she stared at him.
"Emma, just kill him!" A voice screamed out from behind the door. Emma whipped her head around to stare at the door in surprise. She recognized the voice. Steve. "You'll be saving so many lives including ours. It's the right thing to do. Think of your parents…think of all the things he took from you."
"Steve?" Emma questioned as she stared at the door.
"Yes, Emma. It's me." He confirmed as he continued to talk to her from behind the fiery door. "You have to kill him. It's either us or him. You always try to do what I would do…this is something I would do."
"He's right, Emma. You've gotta listen to him." This time, however, it wasn't Steve that spoke…it was her father. Emma's expression softened at the sound of his voice.
"Papa?" Emma called out to him as she stared at the door longingly.
"Emma, you've done it before. You can do it again." Her father told her almost reassuringly. "Think of everything he did to us. He deserves to die. You and I both know it." Emma glanced away from the door and stared back at the wolf who was still growling at her, daring her to kill him. She wanted to kill him so badly. She wanted to kill him so she could finally move on with her life…so that she could be happy with Peter. Emma knew what she had to do. She took a step towards the wolf threateningly but when she made the move he immediately snarled at her and snapped his teeth. Her short display of bravery ended the moment he glared at her in that way that always told her that she was about to get a beating. The look of confidence faded off her face and she stumbled back.
"Emma, you need to hurry up and kill him!" Steve called out to her.
"Just end it, Emma. End it once and for all!" Her father added.
"Mini Cap, make him pay!" Tony yelled.
Emma looked between the door and the wolf with a frightened look on her face. She tried to move towards him again but he kept growling at her, looking furious with her. It was just like that night she tried to move or cry in the darkness of her room but he glared at her and threatened to hurt her father if she did. Emma moved back in fear. He slowly began to stalk towards her, looking every bit of the monster that she knew he was. Emma began to back away from him again unable to bring herself to kill him or to even run away.
"Help us! The fire's getting worse!" Sam called out from behind the door.
"We don't have much time!" Natasha shouted.
Emma flinched when they started banging the door with their hands. They all screamed out in fear and pain. They screamed for her to help them but Emma felt paralyzed with fear. The wolf had her backed up against the wall again, a challenging look on his face. They both knew that she wasn't going to be able to move. She whimpered as she pressed herself against the wall.
"Emma! Please! Think of my kids! They'll grow up without a father if you don't save me!" Clint shouted desperately at her.
"I'm sorry." Emma said sadly as she locked eyes with the wolf. It was then that the screaming and pounding against the door grew louder. Emma stared at the door in shock and fear as the small window in the door opened and she saw a couple of their arms shoot through the window. They reached out through the window as if they were desperately reaching for her, attempting to get her to save them. Emma's breathing became labored as she saw their hands also reach out from under the door.
"Emma!"
"Please save us!"
"We're dying! Save us!"
"Please, Emma, please!" The voice cried out to her and Emma knew that voice from anywhere. It was the first time she had heard the voice since she became trapped within the room but she knew who it was. There was so mistaking who it was. Peter. Emma stared desperately at the door as she heard his voice come from the other side.
"Peter!" Emma exclaimed.
"Please, Emma. Don't let me die…I don't want to die." He said, sounding like he was almost crying. She knew what he sounded like when he was scared and this was definitely one of those instances. Emma's heart nearly broke at the sound of his voice. He sounded so scared and Emma didn't want him to be.
"I won't, Peter. I promise I won't." Emma stated and she tried to move around the wolf but this time he was even more unrelenting as the wolf stood up and pressed her even more against the wall. He hovered over her, growling as she felt his hot breath against her face. Emma squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to wish him away but she knew he wasn't going away anytime soon.
"You love me, don't you?!" Peter questioned and Emma's eyes shot open.
"Of course, I do." She answered.
"Then why won't you save me!?" Peter cried and it was then that she saw his Spider-Man clad arm reach out to her through the window in the door. Emma felt a tear fall from her eye as he reached out to her. "Please, Emma! I'm dying!"
"No!" Emma said as she shook her head. She tried to move towards him but the wolf growled once and continued to keep her trapped against the wall.
"Emma!" He cried out again and Emma tried to move but every time she did the wolf snapped his teeth and glared at her. Emma shrank back against the wall. She knew that she had to kill him to get to Peter and the others but every time she gained the courage, he would glare at her and she'd shrink back. Why couldn't she kill him? Everyone was dying out there and she just shrank back in fear.
"Think about it, Emma." The wolf told her smugly as if he could read her thoughts. "What's the real reason you can't kill me?" Emma didn't answer as she just looked down at the floor, feeling both fear and shame.
"It's because you know it won't change anything." The wolf informed her as he grinned at her. "Killing me won't make me go away. I'll always be here, Emma." Emma furiously shook her head, denying everything he said.
"No, you won't." She argued but the wolf still didn't look worried.
"Yes, I will. I'll always be here with you, Emma. A part of me will always live inside of you." The wolf said and Emma could feel more tears fall down her face as she stared at him.
"No." She said weakly but he continued to grin at her.
"Even if I'm not alive you'll still see me for the rest of your existence. Whether it's somewhere in a crowd of people, your subconscious, or even in your dreams. I'll always be with you." He told her and Emma sniffled because a part of her knew that was true. He wasn't ever going to go away, was he? The voices behind the door started to grow louder again. They screamed and cried for her to save them but Emma knew that it was no use. She was his prisoner and nothing would ever change that.
"Emma! What are you doing?!"
"Emma! Please! You have to save us!"
"Please!"
"Just shut up! I can't take it anymore!" Emma screamed at them as she sank to the floor, attempting to cover her ears from their screams. Tears streamed down her face and Emma didn't think she had ever cried this hard before. Emma saw Peter's arm still reaching out through the window.
"Emma, I need you! Please!" Peter cried and Emma slowly shook her head, her heart breaking in half because she knew she couldn't save him. She was just too weak.
"I'm sorry, Peter. I'm so sorry." Emma said softly, looking regretful and disgusted at herself. She watched in horror as the fire encompassed his arm, his flesh burning. His screams of terror turned into screams of pain as he was being burned alive. He cried for her and all Emma could do was cover her face with her hands so that she wouldn't see. His desperate screams and the wolf's sinister laughter filled her ears as she tried to drown out the sounds but it was no use. Emma knew that she was weaker than she ever thought. She always thought she was the strongest of them all but the truth was that she was the weakest.
Emma was the weakest of all the Avengers.
Emma gasped for air as she woke up from her nightmare. She struggled to catch her breath as her heart pounded against her chest. Her eyes wildly searched the room for any sign of the wolf but she couldn't see him through the darkness of her room. She brought her knees to her chest as she curled up into a ball, looking almost hysterical...as if she expected the wolf to jump out at her. The lights automatically turned on as Emma started to come back into reality. It was only when the lights turned on that she realized that she was completely alone in her bedroom. There wasn't anything in her room other than herself. It had a been a dream…a very bad dream but a dream nonetheless.
"Miss Rogers, are you alright?" McConaughey politely asked her. "Your heart rate has alarmingly elevated. Shall I call for Mr. Stark or Miss Potts?" Emma's breathing was still labored as she started to calm down from the nightmare. It wasn't real, she told herself. None of it was real. It was all just a part of her vivid imagination…it just happened to feel very real.
"No, I'm fine. It was just a bad dream." Emma said, trying to reassure the AI system. An unsure look then came across her face as she remembered the dream again. The screaming. The fire. The wolf. "Where are all the others?"
"Miss Potts, Mr. Rhodes, and Miss Hill are asleep in their bedrooms. Vision is hibernating in his own room. Mr. Stark and Dr. Winters are in the lab." McConaughey informed her. "Mr. Parker is also asleep in his bedroom." Emma let out a sigh of relief at that.
"So they're all okay?" She asked once more.
"Yes." The AI system confirmed. So everyone was alright…everyone was safe and sound inside the compound and no one was being burned alive. It was just a terrifying nightmare that was all over now. Nothing was amiss and all was well at the compound. Emma nestled into the covers and rested her head back against her pillow. The lights automatically turned off and Emma was left alone in the darkness of her bedroom once more. She laid there in bed as she tried to fall back asleep, attempting to think of more pleasant thoughts so she wouldn't have another nightmare again. However, the darkness set her on edge because all she could think about was whether or not he was there in the room with her…hiding in the shadows. He always seemed to come out in the dark after all.
She swallowed hard as she forced herself to think of literally anything other than her nightmare but it was no use. This nightmare was different than the others. All the other nightmares she had of him were just flashbacks to that night almost three years ago. This nightmare was about something else. This was him taunting her…reminding her that she wasn't as strong as she liked to believe she was. He was making her question whether or not she could really kill him if it came down to it. Emma wasn't so sure that she could. It wasn't a question of whether or not she wanted to but rather that she was just too scared to do it. He scared her beyond belief and she knew deep down that he really did hold some power over her. If he didn't then she wouldn't be having these nightmares about him.
Emma tried to close her eyes and forget the nightmare but all she saw was his face grinning at her in that wolfish way and the screams of her friends…of her family. Steve and her father's pleads for help entered her mind but it wasn't just their desperate voices that stuck out in her mind. It was Peter too. Emma couldn't get his screams for help out of her mind as he burned alive right before her very eyes. It was all so vivid and Emma hated herself for not being able to save him. Granted it was all a dream but she still felt like a terrible human being for being such a coward that couldn't even find it in herself to kill Rumlow and save them all. She really was weak and pathetic. Just like what Rumlow and Karkov always said. Pierce always used to tell her that she had too soft of a heart…just like her mother. Maybe he was right.
Emma opened her eyes again because she knew that she couldn't sleep like this. Usually at times like these Emma liked being alone because there was no one to ask questions or judge her but she couldn't take it. She couldn't stand being alone in the darkness of her own room when she was also forced to be alone with her own thoughts. Emma didn't want to be alone with her thoughts. Her mind was already a terrifying place when she wasn't thinking about Rumlow so she certainly didn't want to think about him right now. She'd just have another nightmare about him like she just did. No, Emma most certainly couldn't be alone.
Without another thought the blonde got up from her bed and then proceeded to leave her bedroom. She didn't travel far down the hallway as she quietly entered the bedroom right next to hers. His room was just as it always was. Messy and cluttered. Peter Parker seemed to be the exact opposite of her with clothing carelessly strewn about the room and textbooks stacked up against each other. It was a quirk about him that was quite endearing to her. It was dark in his room too but it didn't feel the way it did like when she was alone in her own room. Maybe it was because he was there.
She quietly watched him sleep in his bed as he rested peacefully without a care in the world. He looked so peaceful as he rested there and after the nightmare she just had this was just what she needed to see. It was more reassuring to her because she knew he was safe. None of it was real and he was safely asleep in his own bed. Emma watched his chest rise and fall as he slept. She wondered what he was dreaming about. Hopefully something beautiful and nice. Emma was sure that there was only beauty and kindness that existed in his mind unlike her own mind which only contained darkness and horror.
Emma was careful not to wake him as she quietly slipped into his bed but he wasn't a terribly heavy sleeper. His eyes slowly opened and he looked tiredly in her direction. She really wished that he'd be more cautious and alert than that but she couldn't help but find his sleepiness to be adorable. Peter looked incredibly confused to see Emma in his bed. Mr. Stark had made a rule against them being in a room alone together with the door closed. It was something Emma found insulting but Peter respected Mr. Stark's rule all the same. He understood that Mr. Stark was very protective over Emma, especially with her grandfather being gone. Peter felt inclined to follow Mr. Stark's rules without any objections.
"Emma?" Peter asked in confusion as he started to become more awake. "What are you doing here? You know about the rule Tony gave us. He doesn't want us alone together in a room if the door's not open." Emma would usually scoff at Tony's ridiculous rule but she didn't feel up to it right now. A concerned look then came over Peter's face as he saw a haunted look in her eyes. There was obviously something troubling her. He then moved closer to her before placing his hands on her forearms in an attempt to bring her back down to earth. She always grew distant when something was troubling her like that.
"What's the matter? Is everything alright?" Peter questioned. Emma looked back up at him and Peter could clearly see fear in her eyes but he knew the fear wasn't directed at him. No, this was something else.
"I had a nightmare." Emma admitted to him and Peter became more concerned. It was no secret that Emma had some really bad nightmares from time to time. He had heard the way she woke up screaming from them sometimes. She never went into vivid details but he knew the nightmares were about her time at Hydra. He wished she'd tell him more but he knew it was best not to push her.
"Really? What about?" He asked her, hoping that she'd want to talk about it this time but Emma soon grew uncomfortable.
"I don't remember." She lied, not wanting to trouble him with what had been in her mind. He didn't need to know about stuff like that. Peter would only become more worried about her if she told him what had happened in the nightmare. "I just remember that it was terrifying…whatever it was, I mean." Peter nodded slowly, wanting nothing more than to make her feel better.
"Well, do you need anything?" Peter asked her carefully. "Do you want me to get Tony or Susan? I think they're still awake." He only asked about Susan because he knew that out of everyone at the compound Emma liked Susan the most. Emma just shook her head.
"No, I don't want to bother them. I'll be fine." Emma reassured him but Peter still felt concerned. She seemed really shaken up and Peter knew that she wasn't fine. Even if she didn't remember what the nightmare had been about, he knew that it had really taken a toll on her.
"Are you sure? Because I don't think they'd mind." Peter continued to say and Emma locked eyes with him, a vulnerable look in her eyes. Peter's mouth felt suddenly dry as she looked at him in that way.
"I just want you, Peter." She told him softly and the expression on Peter's face softened. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. Emma melted in his embrace and buried her face in the crook of his neck. It was so odd that this was the only way she could ever feel safe. When Peter held her this close she felt as if nothing could ever harm her. He soothingly rubbed circles on her back and Emma felt herself relax.
"You can stay here tonight. I'll just sleep on the floor." Peter told her but that wasn't what Emma wanted. She pulled away from him and instantly shook her head.
"I don't want you to sleep on the floor…I want you to sleep with me in the same bed." Emma told him unabashedly and Peter blushed. He knew she didn't mean anything sexual but sleeping in the same bed as a girl still seemed scandalous. They had slept together in the same bed once before but that was before they were dating. Now that Emma was his girlfriend he knew that everything was different. People wanted doors to remain open and for him to have Emma back home at a reasonable time. They hadn't had those kinds of rules before but now that they were dating, everything changed.
"Tony wouldn't like that, Emma. He'd probably kill me if he found me in the same bed as you." Peter weakly argued and Emma looked at him with those sad blue eyes of hers. Peter felt himself swallow hard at the sight.
"Please, Peter. I don't want to be alone." Emma told him in a small voice and he knew how hard it was for her to admit that. It also didn't help that she was looking at him with those beautiful blue eyes. He couldn't resist her when she looked at him like that. Peter sighed as he gave in and nodded.
"Okay. I just hope Tony doesn't kill me for this." Peter said, finally relenting although he was kind of serious when he mentioned Tony killing him. The eccentric billionaire had been very clear about what he'd do to him if he ever caught Peter doing less than innocent things with Emma. It was a little unnerving being targeted like that by Tony who was almost like a father to him but Peter understood why Tony was being like that. The older man had known Emma for a lot longer and she was something like a niece to him. He had a right to be protective but Peter didn't think Emma was that appreciative about it.
"Don't worry about Tony. I'll tell him that I was the one who seduced you. You're a guy after all and everyone knows that men can't control themselves." Emma said almost jokingly as she relaxed from her previous frightened state. She gave him an amused look as they both settled back into bed. Peter glared at her although he really wasn't that pissed off. He was sort of used to the disturbing humor Emma had.
"Don't joke about sexism." Peter told her but Emma just continued to give him an almost playful look.
"My apologies." Emma said sarcastically before moving over in the bed to be closer to Peter. He gave her an alarmed look as she rested her head against his chest and tangled her legs through his. His heart raced as he stared at her head of blonde hair that was pooled against his chest.
"What are you doing?" Peter asked, his throat feeling thick at how close Emma was to him. He was finding it very hard to think around her these days when she pulled stunts like this one.
"I believe the kids call it cuddling." Emma said casually and Peter just stared in bewilderment at her as she rested her face against his chest as if she did this loads of times before.
"I know what it is but why? If Tony finds us in the same bed together he'll kill me but if he finds us like this then he'll probably torture me in some inhumane way before slowly murdering me and sending my ashes to your grandfather." Peter rambled but Emma didn't seem bothered by the threat of Tony finding them. Maybe it was because her fear of being alone was greater than Tony walking in on them.
"I just want to be close to you, Peter. What's so wrong with that?" Emma questioned and Peter sighed heavily as he heard the longing in her voice. He immediately wrapped an arm around her and Emma smiled in satisfaction because she knew she had gotten what she wanted. Peter pressed a chaste kiss against the top of her head before relaxing. It wasn't that he didn't want to be this close to Emma but he just wanted her to know that he respected her and he also wanted Mr. Stark to trust him with her. Somehow he didn't think Mr. Stark finding them in bed together was going to make the billionaire trust him.
"You're a spoiled little brat, you know that?" Peter whispered to her almost flirtatiously and Emma just smiled. She liked it when Peter got confident enough that he would flirt with her. Maybe it was because it was so unlike the shy and nerdy Peter Parker that everyone thought he was. Shy and nerdy Peter Parker supposedly didn't know the first thing about flirting but when he was alone with her, it was a different story. "I'm always giving you everything you want. You're just a spoiled little rich girl."
"And you're a dork. A really handsome and cute dork but still a dork nonetheless." Emma flirted back and Peter smiled before growing more serious, causing his smile to fade.
"You know you're safe here with me, right?" Peter asked her softly. "I'll never let anyone hurt you. I know you can take care of yourself and all but I still want you to know that." Emma nodded as she laid there against his chest.
"I know." It was true that Emma did know that but that didn't mean that she still wasn't scared. She was scared but she was more scared of what would happen to Peter rather than herself. He'd probably save her in a heartbeat if he had to but would she? Emma wanted to believe she would but after the dream she had, she wasn't so sure. She couldn't even kill the man she hated more than anything to save the boy she loved. She couldn't do it because she had been too scared. Emma was deathly scared the same thing would happen in real life too and there would be nothing she could do to stop it.
"I love you." Peter whispered to her through the darkness of his bedroom. Emma wasn't scared of the darkness like she had been before. She knew it was because she had Peter there with her.
"I love you too." Emma replied and she meant it. Peter smiled softly and pressed another kiss to the top of her head before deciding to call it a night. Emma closed her eyes and began to feel herself drift off, feeling warm and safe in the embrace of her boyfriend. She fell asleep, having a dreamless and peaceful sleep instead of a horror infested one like before. She wondered if it was like that because Peter was with her.
Probably.
As the week went by Emma liked to think that the nightmare from before hadn't impacted her but she was soon proven wrong. This nightmare seemed to be worse than the others that she had, seeing as she couldn't seem to get it out of her head. The screaming and the crying of her family and friends stuck with her. As much as she liked to pretend that she was okay, deep down she knew that she wasn't. A part of her had hoped that all would be forgotten but that didn't seem very likely.
It was two weeks after Christmas and it was a pretty uneventful but equally nice Christmas. Emma had given Peter his weird Obi-Wan Kenobi action figure which he absolutely loved for some reason. She wasn't going to judge him or anything since he called her the best girlfriend ever for getting it for him. He had also given her the novel Franny and Zooey which she had always wanted to read. It warmed her heart to receive the gift from him since she didn't think he had been listening that one time she told him she wanted to read the book a couple months before. As nice as the book was it still couldn't compare to the engraving on the compass he presented her with. Emma still liked taking the compass out of her pocket and admiring the beautiful engraving.
Now that Emma and Peter's relationship was out in the open she thought things would be changed. She thought everyone would always stare at them and analyze every little part of their relationship but she had been wrong. People were curious at first but after a couple days they lost interest. The only person who had been interested in the relationship was Tony who even surprisingly set up some rules and boundaries for them much to Emma's surprise. Although most of the rules were directed at Peter rather than her. Emma thought Tony was being strange since she never took him for the protective type. As annoying as she found an overprotective Tony Stark, the time when Tony found out he wasn't the first to find out about them after all surely made up for everything else. Emma would treasure the look on his face for the rest of time.
"Guess what I walked in on last night?" Tony said smugly Christmas morning after they opened all the presents. Everyone at the compound gave him curious looks while Peter blushed and Emma just looked bored. "It was a nice little Christmas Eve surprise I will admit. It seems like Mini Cap and the Spiderling are more than just friends. I walked in on them swapping spit last night and there wasn't any mistletoe in sight." Tony was grinning at everyone who just looked unaffected by this news. His grin faded a little as he wondered why no one appeared to be shocked by his gossip.
"Which means that Mini Cap and the kid are a thing now." Tony continued but still no one appeared to look surprised. "And that means they're in a relationship…they're dating…they're boyfriend and girlfriend…they're going steady. God! What's wrong with you people?! Why don't you look surprised?!" Tony exclaimed, infuriated that no one was gasping in surprise at the news. Everyone suddenly had uncomfortable looks on their faces, none of them wanting to let Tony in on the bad news. However, it seemed to be Rhodey's turn to be the bearer of bad news as he decided to tell Tony the truth. The older man cleared his throat awkwardly as he looked at his friend.
"Well, that's because we kind of…um…already knew, Tony." Rhodey told him and Tony stared at him blankly.
"What?" He questioned in surprise and Pepper stepped in from there.
"We all knew they were dating. They never said anything but we kind of figured." Pepper explained with a sympathetic look on her face. "I tried to tell you but you wouldn't listen."
"Emma actually did tell me though. I didn't really have to guess it." Darcy admitted from one corner of the room.
"Peter told me." May added and Tony looked around the room in disbelief. Peter was avoiding eye contact while Emma was just smirking at him…as if she was amused by this whole predicament. He glared at the young couple.
"So I'm the one you apparently told first, huh?" Tony asked sarcastically but Emma didn't appear bothered.
"Well, we told you as a couple first. I thought that's what you meant."Emma said tauntingly and Tony narrowed his eyes at her. Peter nudged her gently.
"That's actually not true. We told Michelle and Ned as a couple first." Peter mentioned and Emma nodded instantly.
"Yes, I forgot about Michelle and Ned." Emma replied and Tony scoffed.
"Is there anyone that didn't know?" Tony questioned and everyone looked at him blankly. He supposed that answered his question enough. Great…that was just great. He could tell how much he was appreciated since he was apparently the last person in the world to know about this new relationship. God, that girl drove him crazy sometimes. The kid really had a long road ahead of himself if he was going to put up with her long term wise.
"Fine. If that's how it is then I suppose you won't mind if I make a couple rules." Tony said bitterly but Emma could tell by the mischievous look in his eyes that Tony was only teasing them. She supposed whatever he had planned was his way of getting them back. "First off, doors will be open at all times. I don't want you two in a room alone together without adult supervision." Emma rolled her eyes at him.
"Okay, Steve. We'll have chaperones like it's 1865." Emma said sarcastically and Tony glared at her, becoming more serious. Okay...so maybe he was going to be taking this more seriously than she thought.
"Teenagers are notoriously horny and there will not be any sex happening under this roof. I don't want any little Spider Viper babies crawling around the compound anytime soon." Tony told them with a serious look on his face. Emma gave him a disgusted look while Peter just blushed uncontrollably and looked like wanted to sink into a hole in the ground, never coming back out. "Two teenagers are tough enough to deal with. I don't need an unplanned teen pregnancy to be thrown into the mix. Not to mention Steve would probably skin me alive and kill me if that kid knocks you up." Peter swallowed hard as he looked up at Tony.
"Mr. Stark, I just want you to know that I respect Emma and I'd never do anything to disrespect her." Peter told the billionaire and Emma rolled her eyes once more.
"It's not like it's any of your business anyways." Emma said snarkily causing everyone to stare at Emma in surprise. Tony raised his eyebrows at her and Emma elaborated. "I just mean that it's not up to you to decide when or if I'm ready for sex. It's my body and I can do whatever I want with it."
Darcy snickered as she watched the confrontation between Emma and Tony because she knew this was going to be good. Everyone else watched the teenager and billionaire argue with interest and even Rhodey looked amused to see his best friend being challenged by a fifteen year old girl. It sure was interesting watching Tony be the fish out of water during this very peculiar conversation.
"It's damn right my business!" Tony argued as he almost stumbled over his words. What was this? Was Mini Cap actually saying that she was ready for sex? No, she couldn't be saying that. It didn't feel like that long ago when Steven sent him that picture of a newborn baby Emma. Now that cute little baby was telling him that she was interested in having sex with her boyfriend? No, this couldn't be happening. "You're living in my house and under my rules. God, I sound so much like my father. You know what? No…no sex under my roof. I promised your grandfather I'd take care of you so that includes making sure that some horny teenage boy keeps his hands to himself." Peter had his face in his hands while he wished he was anywhere but there and Emma just looked at Tony defiantly.
"You're being ridiculous. My father would let me do what I want." Emma muttered and Tony scoffed, giving her a look of disbelief.
"You think your daddy would be fine with it? Okay, fine. How about whenever Mr. Brooding Assassin comes back he can have his own little talk with you and Peter about sex." Tony said sarcastically and Peter didn't look too excited at the idea of having that kind of conversation with Emma's father. He was probably having it easy with Tony but he couldn't even imagine what Emma's father would ever do to him if he thought Peter was trying to seduce his daughter. "Yeah, I'm sure Daddy Dearest will be happy for the both of you. He'll even congratulate Peter and give him a few tips." Emma shrugged.
"You never know." Emma quipped and Tony glared at the infuriating blonde. Steve totally owed him one whenever he came back because this was going to give him so many gray hairs. Tony wasn't sure if there was enough hair dye in the world to get out all the grays this girl was giving him.
"No, you both listen to me." Tony told them seriously as he looked in between the two teenagers. "Doors always open, adult supervision, hands above the clothes…" He briefly paused before he looked Peter straight in the eyes, giving the teenage boy a threatening look. "And if I ever catch you in bed with her you're dead meat, Parker. That's okay with you, right, May?" Tony glanced over at May who looked very amused by everything. She smiled at her terrified looking nephew before giving Tony a brief nod.
"Yes, of course." May told him and Tony glanced back at Peter.
"You get the big picture, don't you, kid? You in the same bed as Mini Cap equals something very bad. Rhodey and Vision will back me up, right?" Tony asked as he looked in Rhodey and Vision's direction who both nodded.
"Yeah, one wrong move and your ass is grass, Parker." Rhodey told him seriously and Peter shrank back against the couch in fear as he quickly nodded.
"Understood." Peter replied. Tony smiled at him, happy that he seemed somewhat scared of them. While Tony knew that Peter was a lot more of the respectful and gentlemanly type than Tony had been at that age, he still knew that Peter was a teenage boy underneath all that. Teenage boys still had urges and Tony remembered enough about being Peter's age that he was even hesitant about letting Emma go anywhere alone with the kid.
"Good. I'm glad we have an understanding." Tony told him and Emma rolled her eyes before getting up from the couch. She was more than done with this conversation at this point.
"Come on, Peter, I'm tired of listening to these old women gossiping. Let's go do something boring like homework. Anything's better than this." Emma deadpanned and Peter immediately got up from the couch, happy to follow his girlfriend but Tony couldn't help but tease the teenage boy.
"Looks like someone's on a tight leash." Tony quipped, causing Peter to blush and Emma to turn around and glare at the billionaire.
"You know what, Tony? Fuck your rules. I'll be having sex when I'm good and ready and I don't give a damn if you say otherwise. You can't order me around and tell me what I can and can't do. If Peter and I want to have sex then that's our business and not yours. You're not some kind of sex police here to dictate when or if I can have sex. My body, my rules." Emma told him confidently before grabbing an embarrassed looking Peter's hand and practically dragging him out of the room. Tony stood there staring at the empty space where the teenage couple had been a second earlier, a shocked look on his face. It was like nothing he had said had even mattered to her. She just completely ignored every rule he put out and basically told him to fuck off. God…how did Steve even deal with this shit? It was then that Susan gave Tony an amused look. She was amused because in all the time she had known Tony, she had never seem him look this lost before.
"You really don't know how to talk to teenage girls, do you?"
In all honesty Emma didn't think she was anywhere near ready for sex but she still didn't like Tony thinking he could tell her what to do. Besides…one of her favorite past times was arguing with Tony. He'd just got so red faced and pissed off that Emma couldn't resist pushing his buttons. Tony really made it too easy for her.
The two weeks following Christmas break had been fairly uneventful. During her missions with Peter at night there hadn't been many threatening individuals. None that really posed a threat to her anyways. Mostly just low level scumbags who were trying their hand at robbing bodegas or stealing cars. Very unoriginal but incredibly boring to Emma. The nightmares were the only things that really mixed things up for her but Emma found that she much preferred the boring criminals to the nightmares. The nightmares had gotten so bad that Emma didn't even want to sleep. She'd stay up most of the night drawing or reading and only sleeping during one of the classes she deemed unimportant.
Chemistry.
"Emma." She heard someone whisper to her and Emma lazily lifted her head up from the lab table. Emma had finally been having a dreamless sleep. Power naps never seemed to contain dreams for her which Emma was grateful for. Her gaze met a pair of warm brown eyes and she immediately knew who it was that was calling her name. Of course it was going to be Peter who sat in front of her.
"What?" She said tiredly and it was clear to her that Peter was concerned. His brown eyes were widened in that cute way that he did whenever he was worried about her. However, Emma didn't really feel to be in the mood to talk. She much preferred to sleep while the teacher droned on and on about one of her least favorite subjects.
"You can't sleep here. You'll get in trouble." He told her and for a moment she thought it was Steve talking to her. Did Peter sound that much like Steve when she was a hundred percent awake? She hoped not. It would be creepy otherwise. Emma just scrunched her face up in annoyance and rested her face against her arms.
"I don't care." Emma mumbled as she closed her eyes again.
"If you don't pay attention now, you'll regret it come test day." Peter scolded and Emma sighed heavily.
"I'll just get the answers from McConaughey. Don't worry about it." Emma told him, her voice sounding very tired and annoyed. Peter's eyes widened in disbelief.
"But, Emma, that's cheating. You can't do that." He said in surprise, his voice quiet but she knew by his tone that he was appalled by what she suggested. She supposed that meant whatever she suggested was morally wrong by his standards.
"Whatever." Emma told him shortly before tuning him out as he rambled on about how wrong it was to cheat. It was actually nice to listen to because he actually put her to sleep. Peter could be like a nice lullaby even when he wasn't holding her in his arms.
It was nice.
"I just don't understand why you'd think La La Land is a lame sappy movie when you like all those other old sappy movies so much." Peter told Emma as they argued about a movie he had taken her to see the night before. They were currently studying in a library a couple blocks away from Emma's house. Peter thought it was important to make sure that Emma understood the lesson she had slept through in chemistry. She was bored out of her mind but she humored him nonetheless. In all honesty the only reason she brought up La La Land was so that she could distract Peter from something as boring as chemistry.
"Those movies are different. Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire were professionally trained dancers and Ryan Gosling is definitely not a professionally trained dancer." Emma told him, amused by how worked up he'd get over something as trivial as a movie. Peter just huffed.
"Well, Ryan Gosling learned piano from scratch just for this movie. How many actors can do that?" Peter argued and Emma just smirked at him before shrugging nonchalantly.
"I guess I'll give him that one." Emma said, finally relenting and Peter gave her a satisfied look. Emma just thought he was cute when he thought he had won an argument.
"Well, I'm glad you can see it my way." Peter said before scooting his chair back. "Hey, I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." Peter told her before getting up from the table they were sitting at. "Keep studying while I'm gone." Emma just rolled her eyes at him.
"Yeah, okay, dad." Emma said sarcastically and Peter just glared at her playfully before walking down one of the book aisles and disappearing amongst all the books. Instead of studying like her boyfriend told her to do, Emma took out her book(the fun kind and not the boring chemistry kind) and started reading it. What Peter didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right? Well, Emma liked to think so anyways.
Emma had finished reading Franny and Zooey the day after Peter gave it to her so now she had moved onto a different book. The American Night which was the second volume of poetry by Jim Morrison. Emma had to admit the guy was an amazing poet and he was way more than just a rock star to her. It was just too bad he died young. The world could've benefited from more of his poetry. Emma was then snapped out of her contemplative musings about Jim Morrison as something drew her attention away from the book.
"Emma." A voice whispered and Emma looked away from her book. For a moment Emma thought it may have been Peter before deciding that was ridiculous. Why the hell would Peter be whispering to her? He knew better than to play weird pranks on her. She didn't really take well to being pranked. Clint had learned that the hard way.
Emma looked around her surroundings curiously as she tried to pinpoint where the voice had come from. It was nearing night by now so Emma knew that the library was starting to empty at this point. There wasn't anyone left in the area that Peter and her had been occupying. All that Emma could see was an empty book aisle…the same one Peter had disappeared into just a couple minutes before. The Emma from a year or so ago would've been very suspicious but Peter was always telling her how paranoid she was so she decided to go back to reading her book. She decided to blame it on her imagination since she hadn't been getting much sleep lately. Emma could function without sleep longer than a normal human could but at this point she was starting to feel very drained. Her mind always played tricks on her whenever she was this tired.
"Emma." The voice whispered again and Emma quickly looked up from her book again. She scanned the area but she still didn't see anything. Her fingers clenched the edge of the table as she forced herself not get up and investigate. Don't be paranoid, she told herself. Not everything's out to get you.
"Emma." The voice whispered once more and Emma instantly stood up from the table, blaming it on her natural instinct. There was no way she could ignore the voice a third time. Three times? Someone was definitely trying to get her attention. Something was messing with Emma and she was determined to find out just what that something was.
"This better not be you, Parker." Emma said sharply as she cautiously began to make her way down the long aisle of books. "If this is your idea of a kinky couple's game then you're going to be severely disappointed." She slowly walked down the aisle looking around the open spaces in between the books on the shelf to try and see if she could see anyone. Emma was sure that if Peter really was messing with her he wasn't going to be able to hide long. He'd probably giggle so much that he'd give himself away. Peter was bad at that kind of stuff.
"I'm not into pranks, Parker. Keep playing this game and there won't be a make out session tonight." Emma threatened and waited for Peter to step out from where ever he was hiding with a shy look on his face. She knew he'd definitely come out if she made a threat like that. However, no one, not even Peter, came out to surprise her. Emma started having an uneasy feeling about the whole thing. She swallowed hard before continuing to walk down the aisle.
"Emma." The voice whispered again and it sounded like it was coming right from behind her. She immediately turned around to see who it was but was met with the sight of an empty book aisle. There was no one there.
"Who's there?" Emma demanded to know but there was no answer. "Who are you and what do you want?"
"I just want you and only you, Princess." The voice whispered and it chilled her right to the bone because she knew that voice better than anyone. Emma's eyes widened in both fear and surprise and she could feel her heart pounding against her chest. The voice sounded like it was coming from right behind her again…like he was breathing down her neck. Emma turned around again but there was still nothing there.
"You're not really here. You're not real." Emma said, sounding more like she was trying to reassure herself rather than him.
"You know that I'm real. Even if you can't see me, I'm still here…whether it's inside your mind or right in front of you, I'm here. I'll always be with you." He told her in a sinister tone and Emma backed herself up against one of the shelves as she spotted a flash of black fur that could be seen in between some of the books as if he were walking through the other aisle.
"Get out of my head." Emma told him forcibly as she tried to calm down but it was no use. He was already in her head and he wasn't likely to get out anytime soon.
"It's too late. You can't get rid of me now." He told her tauntingly and Emma swallowed hard.
"Go away." She told him as she struggled to stay calm. Emma tried seeing if she could spot him but there was nothing there. It had to be all in her head. He couldn't really be here…could he?
"Don't worry, Princess. We'll be together again." He promised, his voice sending chills down her spine. "When we reunite I promise that I'll never let you go again. Never." Emma struggled to catch her breath as she waited for him to come jumping out at her. He was going to get her and he was going to stop at nothing until he had her. He had always made it that much clear in the past. Emma turned around and gasped when she felt someone grabbed onto her arms.
"Emma? Are you okay?" Peter asked her and Emma stared into the depths of his worried brown eyes. She had a wide eyed look on her face and she seemed terrified as she stood there in front of him. Emma quickly looked around the library but noticed that it was empty except for the two of them. There was no flash of black fur and Emma didn't even feel the eeriness she previously felt. It became clear to her that it had all been inside her head. Rumlow wasn't there. She quickly glanced back at a concerned looking Peter. He looked so worried about her and Emma didn't know what was wrong with her. Was she finally going crazy?
"Yes." She said hesitantly before biting her lip. Peter furrowed his eyebrows at the sight. It wasn't like her to act this skittish and nervous. Something was really bothering her but he just didn't know what it was. "I just thought I heard something."
"Heard what?" Peter questioned, truly wanting to know what was going on with her. Emma just shrugged as if none of it mattered.
"Nothing. I guess I'm just tired." Emma told him dismissively and Peter glanced over her appearance. He supposed she did seem more tired than usual. The dark shadows under her eyes were evidence enough of that as well as her sleeping through chemistry class. Emma never slept through class no matter how boring she thought it was. There was also the fact that she had been acting odd ever since her nightmare from the other night.
"Have you been getting any sleep?" He asked her worriedly and an uncomfortable look came over her face.
"Not really." Emma admitted and Peter shook his head.
"You need to sleep, Emma. It's not healthy for you to deprave yourself of sleep." He told her and Emma felt guilty for making him feel so worried about her. That's not what she wanted. It was just that she was scared to go to sleep. She was scared because she knew she was going to see Rumlow again in her dreams. Emma was just tired of feeling that scared.
"I know." Emma said quietly but even she knew that it wasn't likely that she was going to be getting any sleep tonight.
"You promise to at least try to get some sleep?" Peter asked her and Emma looked back up at him. He was giving her that cute puppy dog look that always seemed to make her cave into him. How could she resist him when he looked at her like that? She sighed tiredly before nodding.
"Fine. I'll try." Emma finally relented. "You shouldn't get so worried about me." Peter just looked at her like she was being silly.
"Of course I'm going to worry about you. I love you." He told her softly and Emma just looked at him, not believing that she completely deserved him. She always thought he was too good for her. She remembered how she used to tell Steve that any guy who wanted to be with her had to be insane. Well, she was starting to think that Peter really was insane to want anything to do with her. Still…Emma was glad that Peter was stupid enough to fall in love with her. She was entirely too selfish to push him away for his own good.
"I know." Emma replied smugly and Peter gave her a look of disbelief.
"Did you seriously just quote Star Wars to me?!" Peter exclaimed excitedly. He couldn't believe Emma had actually quoted Han Solo. This was definitely some progress being made. The blonde just rolled her eyes.
"Don't be such a nerd about it." Emma said bluntly before raising an eyebrow at the goofy smile on his face. "It doesn't turn you on, does it? God, you're such a weirdo, Parker." Peter blushed, ignoring Emma's suggestive remark just like he usually did. At this point he figured that Emma just liked messing with him.
"I just thought you hated Star Wars." Peter replied and Emma shrugged.
"I don't hate it. I'm just not obsessed with it like you are." Emma explained and Peter nodded before giving her a more serious look.
"Just so you know, I'm the Han Solo in this relationship. Just remember that next time you quote him." Peter told her and Emma knew this was his male ego speaking. Emma just smirked at him.
"No, I think we both know who the Han Solo is in this relationship, Parker. Let's face it…you're a total Princess Leia." Emma told him, knowing full well that she was going to bruise his ego. That's why she was doing this after all. She loved pushing his buttons. Peter would get all red faced and annoyed with her. She thought he was pretty cute when he was all flustered like that.
"I'm not Princess Leia!" Peter argued defensively and Emma didn't look like she believed him.
"Of course you're not, Parker." Emma told him before moving away from him. "Come on, let's get out of here. I'm done with studying chemistry."
The young couple then proceeded to leave the library. Peter seemed to be in a bit of a mood after Emma's comments but she knew he was only pretending to be annoyed with her. He enjoyed their bickering as much as she did. As they left the library Emma knew this fleeting moment of happiness wouldn't last because as soon as she returned home then she was going to be faced with the overwhelming task of sleep. She'd have to sleep tonight if not for her own health then to at least stop Peter from worrying about her. The only thing was that she knew Rumlow would be in her dreams tonight. Maybe things would be different if Peter could hold her through out the night like he did at the compound but it was during the week and he couldn't spend the night with her since they lived separately. Emma also didn't want to rely on her boyfriend to make the nightmares go away but she never felt quite safe unless she was with him. She knew that made her needy but she couldn't help it. Emma just didn't think she was strong enough on her own…and somehow Rumlow knew that.