Some Things Never Sleep

by Lucky Strike's alter ego

"You never learn when to quit, Spider-Twerp." She told him. "Spider-Twerp?" Spider-Man questioned in disbelief as he glared. Emma smirked. "Well, you annoyingly seem to get in my way all the time. That and you don't look or sound like a man to me." She explained. "I am a man." He told her angrily. "Somehow I doubt that." The first time Emma and Peter met didn't exactly go well.

77. Chapter Seventy

Author's Note: So this chapter came out sooner than expected. I actually didn't start writing it until about two days ago so this was a really fast chapter for me. It's a little shorter than the previous couple and it's also a filler chapter. There was just a few things that needed to be talked about between the characters in this chapter and I also felt the need to add some fluff since Steve and Bucky have been away for so long. So not much happens in this chapter but I promise more will happen in the next couple.

There's not much Tony in the chapter either but we'll see more with him and maybe even Wanda over the next couple chapters. Shuri's also not in this chapter. This chapter mainly contains Emma, Steve, Bucky, and Peter. Some Darcy in here too.

So I also just want to dedicate this chapter to Wong, my dear sweet rescue guinea pig I adopted almost two years ago who I named after Wong from Doctor Strange. My poor little piggy died unexpectedly last week and it really broke my heart because I loved him so much (still do, of course) which is why it took me a few days before I could start writing again. I didn't want my sadness to affect the story. I love him and miss him so much. Rest in Peace, Wong.

I know some people last chapter were concerned that there was going to be drama between Emma, Peter, and Shuri over the jealousy last chapter but there isn't. Usually when there's a jealous Emma, it's for comedic effect because I think a jealous Emma is the most hilarious thing ever. There's definitely going to be a lot of jealous Emma in this chapter although nothing to do with Shuri. There's this really cute moment with Steve and Bucky where they realize that they're dealing with a teenage girl instead of a former assassin. I hope you guys really like that moment because it's my favorite part that I wrote in the whole chapter.

Asterion98 and BabyPinkPuppy: I'll just answer both of your questions together since they're basically the same. Bucky kind of explains the reason why he was so rude to Peter in this chapter so I won't fully explain. I'll just let the chapter do the talking but I never said that Bucky hated Peter. Peter said Bucky hated him because he was being dramatic.

Other than the reason in the chapter, Bucky was probably annoyed by someone interrupting time he could be spending with Emma. I think after spending so long away from her, he just wants them to catch up and it probably annoyed him that Peter interrupted him. It was also kind of for comedic effect too. I just thought it would be hilarious to see that kind of first meeting between Bucky and Peter. All I'm going to say is that Bucky and Steve will probably have different reactions to Emma's relationship with Peter when they do find out.

plumsforbucky: I actually had that moment with Emma and Bucky, where he's super proud of her for the knife thing, planned for a long time. I guess because I have such a dark sense of humor. Emma and Bucky would definitely be that kind of father and daughter to do something like that.

Another random account: There will definitely be more Tony and Peter moments in the future. I know there hasn't been a lot of them in the past many chapters but I promise there will be more.

We'll definitely be seeing a little bit of the Avengers finding out about Emma's rape in this chapter but we'll see a lot more of it in next couple chapters. Stuff that probably involves, Tony, Natasha, Clint, and Wanda who I feel(other than Steve and Bucky) are the most impacted over this news.

extremeninja09: I'll just say that Emma's not going to be in the arena during Thor: Raganrok. However, if you want more details you can PM anytime you want. You just need to let me know whether or not you want spoilers because sometimes people will ask me for details but not want spoilers and it's also very confusing for me. I've just learned to be more specific with asking about spoilers.

AlexandriaTheGreat09: There will possibly be more Okoye next chapter. Shuri's not in this chapter either but I know for a fact that she'll be in the next one. Michelle and Ned might be coming up as well although I'm not sure if they'll be in the next chapter or the one after yet. I'm not that far ahead yet.

alleya02: There will definitely be no drama with Peter, Emma, and Shuri. I'm not doing the pretty female character trying to steal the other female character's boyfriend storyline again. I feel like I've already done that with Betty so I'm not doing that again and I also love Shuri way too much to do that. I also feel like she's more concerned with her work than boys right now anyways. The only time we will see a jealous Emma will usually be for humor. It won't be serious. Well, there is a seriously jealous Emma in this chapter but it has nothing to do with Peter.

Abigail Z: Thank you for the kind review! I know I haven't updated Rose Garden Dreams and Dry Bite in a while. I want to update Dry Bite soon since the chapter's aren't as long as the ones in STNS but I'm not sure when I'll be able to update. I'm just so busy with one usually.

Mariia: Thank you for the helpful advice. I'm going to apply those changes to the previous chapter once I finish updating this one. I use google translate which I know messes things up so thanks. I really appreciate your help.

Key: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much. I've thought a little about how Emma and Thanos will interact. I've said throughout the story how Emma's has a very different take on how she sees the world versus the other Avengers. She doesn't really believe in good and evil which is why she sees some of the logic behind people like Loki or even Vulture for instance. She can kind of see their point and I think she'll see Thanos's point in trying to prolong everyone's lives by wiping out half the population. The greater good thing. However, she still knows it's wrong even though she sees the logic so she'll still try and stop him with the others(I really don't think I'm giving anything away here in terms of spoilers). I can also see her questioning his logic. Like at some point telling Thanos, "Why not double the resources instead of wiping out half the population?"

Emma also kind of has a weird fascination with villains. She kind of really did have a weird crush on Loki and she's completely fascinated by him even though he killed a ton of people. So when they do finally meet she's not going to hate him for what he did which in turn will fascinate Loki. I can also see her being fascinated by Hela. Emma's a feminist when it comes to female villains. She probably thinks the world doesn't have enough of them. Lol. But I can also see Thanos kind of seeing similarities between her and Gamora because her and Gamora do have a lot in common, after all. Emma will definitely like Gamora and Nebula although I'm not sure how she'll feel about guys like Peter Quill or Doctor Strange. I already have a couple of funny nicknames I can see her giving Doctor Strange in the future. Sorry for all the rambling.

ChanceToBeImmortal: There's not going be very many chapters until the reveal of Emma and Peter's relationship which I'm excited for. It's not in this chapter and I don't want to give away when but it's not far away either.

Guest: That scene where she shoves T'Challa aside to get to Bucky has been in my head forever. Classic Emma.

anonanon: Bucky's definitely going to have a different take on Peter than Steve. That's for sure.

I'm not fluent in Russian which is why there might be wrong translations. I won't know until someone tells me. I think I mentioned towards the beginning of the story that I'm not fluent in many of the languages I use in this story which is why I use google translate. I'm also not sure which version of the Russian language to use. Whether it's the one you mentioned which I originally didn't know if I should use since it's a different alphabet or the other one which makes it easier to kind of sound it out in your head(at least, for me). I'd really like to know since I don't want to offend anyone. I didn't think it was that big of a deal since I didn't use a whole lot of Russian last chapter. I have to be honest that I'm not going to understand a lot of what you mean when you talk about the formal or informal version. I took a bit of French in high school but Russian was never even an option. Like I said, I'm not fluent but I'll try and do better in the future. I only use Russian in the first place because I try and make the story as realistic as possible since Emma spent many years in Russia with Bucky.

I'm more than likely never going to include Ghost in my story. I never like to say never but I really don't see it happening. There's already so many characters in this story and I also feel like I didn't get enough info on her from the movie to do her any justice in here.

JustJoyce: The bit with the knife was included because of my dark humor so no worries.

mac2406: You mean sadly, right? I'd like to think people won't think this story ends badly when it does eventually end. Lol. No, I already know it's not going to end sadly. There will definitely be sad parts within it but it's going to have a sad ending because this is fanfiction and I can write a happy ending if I want to. This story is kind of an escape from a lot of original and real novels whose authors make the artistic decision for a sad ending which I get but sometimes I really do hold out for a happy ending so this story will have a happy ending when it does end. No worries.

Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. Sorry if I didn't answer all the reviews but I'm just super tired and want to sleep. I just wanted to post the new chapter before I do go to sleep. I did, however, read all the reviews so thanks for taking the time to write them. I really appreciate it. Let me know what you guys think of the new chapter.

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There was a certain kind of silence that filled the room after Steve spoke. All the Avengers and even Peter, but excluding Fury and Maria, were packed inside one of the newly fixed conference rooms as Steve held another meeting the next morning. Everyone had been confused at first as to just what the meeting was about, but Steve had informed them that it was something that was in urgent need of discussing. It didn't escape everyone's notice that the only two missing from the meeting were Emma and Bucky. There were some others that had stayed in the lab but for the most part everyone was there. Even T'Challa.

However, everyone soon realized that what Steve had to share wasn't good news. It was actually the worst kind of news. Something that hurt everyone to their core because it was true, after all. Emma Rogers was the Avengers' greatest weakness. Steve had a sad, guilt ridden look on his face as he stood there at the head of the table, barely able to look his teammates in the eyes. Everyone else had a combination of shock, anger, sadness, and guilt on their faces yet no one spoke a word.

"Anyways…I think she's right in a way. Rumlow would've tried to use it to his advantage and catch us off guard with that information." Steve said quietly and no one had seen the Captain look as broken as he did in that moment. "Which is why we both thought it was important to inform everyone." Well, that wasn't entirely true. Steve had wanted to keep this private for her sake but Emma was the one who had insisted.

"She would've done it herself but as you can understand, she's not in the best of places right now. I should also ask you to treat her like you normally would. I don't think she would appreciate any more change right this instant." Steve finished and there was still not a peep from anyone. It was silent in the room but at the same time the room was filled with a certain kind of sadness as well.

Sam stared at an intricate pattern in the table, a look of disbelief on his face as he went over everything Steve said once more. He tried to put the pieces together but failed time and time again. Wanda had a guilty look on her face because she knew and had lied to Steve all this time. She suddenly wished that she hadn't but she had felt so guilty over what she had done to Emma in the past that the teenage girl could've told her to do anything and Wanda would've done it. Vision gave the brunette a sympathetic look as he squeezed her hand comfortingly, a gesture he had seen Peter Parker do to Emma Rogers numerous times when the teenage girl was sad.

Rhodey and T'Challa shared similar looks of shock and anger on their faces. Rhodey because he finally understood why the blonde had always been so secretive and distant all these years, the explanation only pissing him off but it wasn't her he was mad at. T'Challa felt angry because although he didn't know Emma that much, she happened to be the same age as his sister who he loved dearly. T'Challa wasn't sure what he would do if someone ever hurt Shuri like that. Maybe, just maybe, he'd let vengeance consume him just like what he promised himself he would never do.

Clint Barton sat there in shock as he stared down at his hands, trying to understand what he had been told. He had felt guilty for the past seventeen years of his life. Ever since he had cut himself off from Margot for juvenile reasons. However, this seemed to strengthen his guilt because Clint felt like he hadn't done enough to help Emma. Saving her from Hydra hadn't been enough and sparing her of the knowledge of how he treated her family wasn't enough either. Margot would be so disappointed in him if she could see him right now.

Natasha sat next to Clint in silence as well as she tried to process this information. She couldn't help but blame herself. Why hadn't she seen it? Why hadn't she seen the signs? The signs were all around her yet Natasha had never seen them. The distance Emma kept herself at…the defensiveness and anger. All the nightmares. Natasha just hadn't seen it at the time and she was disappointed in herself because she should've known. She should've tried to help the young girl who at times reminded Natasha a lot of herself. The blonde then looked up from across the table to notice the same strange teenage boy from the day before. The one who made Emma laugh and the one who Emma called her friend. There was a certain expression of anger and darkness on his face as Steve told everyone the news they hadn't been expecting but she didn't see a trace of surprise on his face. There was no shock or disbelief on his face. Just anger. Natasha couldn't help but find this very suspicious despite the situation.

Lastly, there was Tony Stark. Tony who was staring into space with a lost look on his face. There was no sign of anger or sadness but just a look on his face that seemed to say that he didn't know where he was but deep down there was a deep ache in his chest. An ache at the thought of a little girl, who had the same eyes and hair as her father, in so much pain. He still remembered when she was a little baby. The one Steven Jr. used to hold in his arms and shower with affection and love. To learn that the same little girl had also been raped by that fucking creep was too much for Tony to bear. The guilt weighed heavily on his shoulders because despite all of Emma's reassurances, he was also to blame. They all were. For not finding her fast enough or for him to have spent every night drowning his sorrows with booze and women while Hydra had already kidnapped her and locked her inside a cold dark room. But there was no going back and changing it. It was already done.

"Why did she never say anything?" Sam asked in a broken voice, the first one to speak. Natasha only scoffed before shaking her head.

"Why do you think, Wilson? She was obviously ashamed and scared." Natasha said bitterly, still reeling from the fact that she hadn't noticed anything off about Emma. If she had then maybe she could've helped her.

"I do not understand why she would feel ashamed." Vision mused aloud but still seemed rather sad and hurt by this news. "The man who hurt her should feel ashamed."

"I don't think any one of us are qualified to dig through the trauma of a victim of…sexual abuse." Rhodey said quietly. Hoping there wouldn't be any more discussion on why Emma hid things from them. That's not what they should be debating right now and Rhodey knew that none of them had any experience in that field. Discussing why Emma hid everything from them wasn't going to help a single person right now. There were other things they had to discuss about her instead. Like what this would mean in the grand scheme of things.

"How did we not know this?" Clint asked as he looked around the room for an explanation. Everyone assumed he was so upset by this news because he had children of his own. "I thought Bruce did a medical exam on her when we rescued her from the Hydra base. Wouldn't he have found something like this?" Natasha sighed heavily.

"He would've found signs of sexual abuse if he had done a full and thorough exam." The former spy explained. "He was going to but Emma started freaking out so we decided to leave it at that. We thought she just didn't like being poked and prodded with needles. God, we were so stupid."

"I should've had him do it anyways." Steve said quietly, seeming disappointed in himself.

Peter frowned at the look on Captain America's face. Deep down, the teenage boy felt a bit guilty for knowing everything about Emma but never saying anything. Maybe he should've told Tony because from the way they were talking, it sounded like they weren't just worried about Emma's health but her mental health. Peter had never considered Emma's mental health to be at risk but he wasn't completely stupid. After Emma told him that she had been raped, Peter looked up the trauma surrounding victims of rape. Especially children who been sexually abused so Peter knew that Emma wasn't just okay after that but he also knew that it meant a lot that she even trusted him enough to tell him in the first place so he never pushed her too much.

Peter had been arrogant enough to believe that maybe he was all she needed to help her through what happened but he could see that he was being stupid. Emma and his relationship had been a lot better after she told him about the rape. They had a lot more honesty in their relationship but that didn't mean the trauma she carried with her from the rape was magically cured. Peter knew this because most of the nights he slept in bed with her, he was woken up by her crying as well as her tossing and turning in her sleep. Sometimes when they were fooling around, she'd get scared and beg him to stop which always scared him in return. It didn't happen all the time but it still happened enough which had given Peter some pause when she told him that she was ready for sex. Peter was now wondering if he should've told Tony about Emma a long time but he didn't want to betray Emma's trust. He didn't want her to hate him for telling. Maybe Peter had been too selfish and he hadn't considered what was best for her.

"She would've just tried to attack him or scream at him until he stopped." Natasha told him. "Forcing her to do anything wouldn't have helped anyone." Tony looked up from the table, stepping into the conversation for the first time since it started. He swallowed hard before speaking. The question he was about to ask was unsettling but he knew that he had to ask…he had to know.

"Do we know how often he did this?" Tony asked quietly and everyone turned to stare at him. "Was he doing this for years or…" Tony never said the exact word but it didn't take a genius to figure it out. Everyone knew what he meant. They all seemed a bit more sick at the thought of Rumlow sexually abusing Emma for years, some of them didn't even want to think about it, but they had to know. Steve just felt stupid for not asking Emma the day before. He had just been taken by surprise that he didn't even think to ask her something like that. When no one answered Tony's question, Peter took it upon himself to do so.

"He did it once before he left to go to D.C. to help with Project Insight." Peter said quietly, not looking any of the Avengers in the face as he spoke. "She told me it was the first and only time but he promised to come back for her and take her with him so I assume that would've done it again." Everyone stared at the teenage boy in shock and even Tony seemed surprised at the kid's answer. Not so much because of what he said but the fact that he knew anything at all. Although Tony didn't think he could be that surprised. Mini Cap and the kid were very close, after all. Natasha gave the boy a curious look because she was right about before. The boy hadn't been surprised because he already knew. Natasha found it curious that Emma would ever tell this boy such a dark secret when she hadn't even told Steve or Barnes. This was very curious.

"You knew?!" Rhodey asked in disbelief, his eyes narrowing at the teenager who looked up at him in surprise. "You knew all this time and you never said anything?!" Peter shrank back in his seat, unused to being yelled at and by Rhodey of all people. Sure, Mr. Stark had yelled at him on a few occasions but never any of the other Avengers.

"S-She only told me a few months ago." Peter said weakly and this seemed to piss Rhodey off more. The other Avengers couldn't really be angry with the boy since they weren't here during all that time.

"A few months ago?! Well, that would've been nice to know during all that time Hydra was knocking at our door." Rhodey said bitterly as he continued to glare at the guilty looking teenage boy. "It would've been nice to know that Hydra just didn't want her back because of her abilities but because some sick fuck wants to get his hands on her too." Tony glared at his best friend, immediately coming to the kid's defense.

"Give the kid a break!" Tony snapped and Rhodey looked at him in surprise. Peter just looked between the two adults anxiously. "He was just honoring her trust. We all know how hard it is to get Emma's trust. He was just trying to do what's best for her."

"He wasn't the only one who knew." Wanda said quietly, a guilty expression on her face as everyone turned to look at her. She slowly looked up from the table, meeting Steve's eyes. "All that time ago, when I planted those things inside your minds…when I was with Ultron…I looked inside her mind and saw everything." Everyone stared at the brunette in surprise and even Vision was surprised because Wanda had never told him this either. She hadn't told anyone except for Pietro after she had done it but Pietro was dead and had been for years.

"I regretted doing it the moment I did it." Wanda said sadly as she confessed everything to them. "I've never met anyone who was in as much pain as she was. Her mind was a dark and sad place filled with so much pain and suffering. I saw Rumlow there…I saw what he did to her."

"I didn't understand it at first because he was in the form of a wolf. A wolf that was eating her alive but then I looked further into her mind and realized what it meant." Wanda said as the tears pooled inside her blue eyes. Peter looked down at the table because he couldn't imagine what that was like. Hearing Emma talk about what Rumlow did to her was enough to cause him pain but he couldn't really imagine what looking inside her mind was like and seeing everything firsthand. Peter didn't know if he could do that. He might actually break the promise he made to Emma about not killing Rumlow if he ever saw something like that.

"Her mind tries to protect itself from bad memories but if you look far enough, the memories start to show their true forms."

"I'm so sorry, Steve. I know I should've told you." Wanda said as tears fell from her eyes and Vision gave her hand another comforting squeeze. Steve just nodded with a sad look on his face.

"I know, Wanda. Emma told me that you knew and that she made you promise not to tell." Steve said and although he was a bit annoyed that Wanda never said anything he also understood why she hadn't. She already felt bad enough for violating Emma's mind that she was willing to do anything to make it up to Emma. Emma had used Wanda's guilt to her advantage. "I understand."

"There's things I never said that I think I should say now." Peter announced as everyone turned back to look at him. He blushed from the attention but continued anyways. "All those months ago when Volkov killed himself, he might've said something a bit different than just that Hydra wanted Emma back." Tony gave him a confused look.

"What are you talking about? I thought that's what you two said that he told you." Tony stated, seeming very confused, and Peter gulped nervously before answering.

"Well, it is but we kind of just left out the fact that he also said that Rumlow wanted her back too." Peter admitted and Tony groaned as he ran his hands over his face.

"Jesus, Kid! This too?" Tony said in annoyance at the fact that there was yet another thing that Peter had kept from everyone. Peter, however, didn't sink back in his seat this time. He crossed his arms and looked at Tony defiantly.

"She told me not to say anything!" Peter argued and Sam gave the boy a look of disbelief. What was wrong with this kid? Did Emma have this kid under some kind of spell or something? Because it sounded like this kid granted her every wish and command.

"So what? You just do everything Emma tells you to do?" Sam questioned as he narrowed his eyes at the teenager. "If she tells you to jump off a bridge will you do that too?" Tony sighed as he stepped in from there before a fight could ensue between the kid and Sam.

"We're not mad, Peter." Tony told him as he tried to think calming thoughts. "We understand that you were trying to honor her trust but we just would've liked to have known these things a little sooner so that we could give Mini Cap more protection." Peter huffed as he gave Tony a stubborn look.

"I can protect her. I was protecting her just fine the other night when everyone else was gone. She's always been safe with me. Always." Peter stated but there was something hidden in his voice. Something that might've escaped everyone else's attention but not Natasha's.

Natasha was fairly confident that she knew what was going on now. The lovestruck look on the boy's face was enough to tell her that. Either she was completely crazy or there was something definitely going on here. Natasha was willing to bet that it was more than just a crush since Emma had even managed to tell this boy her deepest, most darkest secret. The former Russian spy also thought back to the odd conversation the two had in D.C. all that time ago when Emma had asked her about how people like them could love someone. Everything suddenly started to make sense and Natasha was positive that she knew what was going on. Although Steve was oblivious to all of it as he gave the young boy a look of appreciation and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"And we all appreciate the fact that you've looked out for her so well. We really do." Steve told the boy softly as he tried to give the boy some comfort. Mostly because the boy happened to be a good friend of Emma's but also because he was so young. He just thought he was doing what was right for Emma by keeping her secrets. The boy clearly hadn't wanted to lose Emma's trust but sometimes, and Steve knew this best, you couldn't always do what Emma wanted. What Emma wanted wasn't always what was best for her.

"So thank you for that, son. But now we need to figure out what's next or what this could mean." Steve said as then moved away from Peter and looked at all his teammates. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Peter fought the urge to smile at the way Emma's grandfather had called him "son". What did that mean? Did he just say that to everyone or did that mean that Captain America liked him now? Peter really hoped that it meant that Captain America liked him. At least one of Emma's guardians liked him because her father sure as hell seemed to hate his guts for some reason.

"Do you think that this will change things?" T'Challa inquired curiously, speaking up for the first time. Steve nodded solemnly.

"I believe so." Steve said before explaining. "Before we just thought Hydra wanted Emma back for her abilities like Bucky said. Now, however, I think it's Rumlow who wants her back the most but I don't think it's just for her powers."

"He was obsessed with Margot." Clint said quietly and everyone stared at him in surprise. He, like T'Challa, had also been remarkably quiet during all of this. "Margot said they dated in high school but it was just some high school fling that ended not long after it began. She didn't join Shield until after she finished college but she said one day when she was training, he had just showed up. He said it was a coincidence but I don't think that was true."

"You're saying that because he dated her mom in high school, the same woman he murdered years later, that now he's obsessed with Emma too?" Sam asked in disbelief and Clint looked deadly serious.

"You weren't there, Sam. The guy was a creep even back then. He was always lurking around somewhere…eavesdropping. He hated Steven's guts and he tried to get Margot and Steven in trouble when he found out that they were having a baby." Steve raised an eyebrow at that. He wasn't aware that Clint had known his son well enough to be on a first name basis with him. Natasha shook her head at her friend.

"That doesn't make any sense, Clint. Emma doesn't even look like her mother." Natasha told him, remembering a picture she had once found in Clint's house of the former Shield agent. Wanda huffed.

"This man is insane and sick enough to rape a thirteen year old girl. I don't believe he thinks logically about anything." She told Natasha because Wanda knew the version of Rumlow she had seen in Emma's head. She knew the things Rumlow had whispered in the poor girl's ear and she knew how he thought about her.

Steve flinched every time he heard those terms. Rape, sexual abuse, and even sexual assault…he still was trying to accept the fact that his granddaughter, his own flesh and blood, had been raped and there was nothing Steve could've done to stop it. He couldn't go back in time to change things and he couldn't take all her pain and suffering away. Steve wished more than anything that he could. He'd literally give anything to take away all the pain and suffering Emma had been through in her life but he knew none of that was possible. It was all in the past now so he just had to find a way to protect her in the future and ensure Rumlow never gets his hands on her again.

"Which is all the more reason why she needs to be under more protection." Steve stated as he stood there in front of everyone. "We now know that Emma is both Hydra and Rumlow's main focus. This means that she's our top priority right now." Steve briefly paused as a serious look appeared on his face at what he was about to say next.

"Every time they launch an attack, a group of us will go and lend our help in fighting Hydra's forces. But at the same time, a group of us has to remain here so we can ensure that she's not taken." Steve said, presenting himself in full Captain mode once more. "Bucky's right. Every single move Hydra makes in the future is so that they can catch us off guard and take Emma. We just have to ensure that never happens. She should never be alone." Tony nodded.

"Our defenses are almost all the way back up, Cap. We should be good to go in a day or two." Tony told him, sounding more confident than he had the day before. "Besides…we're all here now and I'm pretty sure the Manchurian Candidate's not about to leave Mini Cap's side anytime soon."

"So what now?" Wanda asked Steve and the super soldier sighed heavily.

"I was about to head down to one of the interrogations rooms to see if we can get anything out of Collins." Steve said before looking over at Clint and Sam. "Barton. Sam. You up for this?"

"Yeah, sure. I kind of want to see the damage Em did to this guy up close." Sam joked as he stood up from the table and Clint smirked.

"I'll see if we can't get anything out of him, Cap." Clint said as he also got up from the table. Natasha pouted in her seat next to Clint's now vacant one.

"Not me too? Steve, I'm hurt." Natasha said and Steve gave her a slightly amused look, taking a break from his inner thoughts of guilt and anger.

"I have a feeling the last thing this guy wants to see right now is the Black Widow after his ordeal with the Viper Assassin." Steve told her and Natasha just smirked at him. Tony cleared his throat as he feigned his usual carefree look but it was clear that the news at the meeting had devastated him. Tony Stark wasn't as great of a liar as he thought..

"Well, it's back to the lab for me. All the resident nerds are waiting for us in there." Tony glanced over at Peter. "Come on, kid. That means you too."

"Of course, Mr. Stark." Peter said as he immediately got up from the table and followed his mentor to the door. He glanced in back of him to look at Emma's grandfather, wanting to catch his eye or something but the blonde man didn't look his way. He seemed preoccupied with other things. Peter felt a bit sad at not having more of a chance of talking to Emma's grandfather but he knew that the man had a lot of things on his mind at the moment. Peter, however, didn't notice Natasha's amused gaze on him as he walked out the door behind Tony. Natasha knew there was definitely something very romantic going on between Emma and the boy. She just couldn't wait to confront the teenage girl about it. Maybe it would be good…maybe a little romance around here would take their minds off everything. Natasha could kind of even see what Emma might see in the boy or at least from the perspective of a teenage girl. The boy was really cute, after all. One thing Natasha did know for sure was that she was going to have one hell of a time teasing Emma about this.

---

"I drew this one of you, Papa." Emma pointed out as she showed her father one of her many sketchbooks. They were both sitting on the floor of her bedroom, their backs against the bed as Emma told him about every part of her life since they had been apart. Things had been quite peaceful between them since the night before. She could sense that her father was in a lot of pain, still probably reeling from the news Emma told him, but he was remarkably quiet. Almost like the old days. She could tell that he had a lot on his mind but he didn't talk about it. Emma supposed that he had questions but he was too afraid to ask. He wasn't ready for answers now but maybe he would be soon enough.

Emma had also managed to clean up her room from the aftermath of the explosion that morning although she had a little help from her father. It kind of surprised her to see her father do something so mundane as helping her clean but she still enjoyed it. Bucky's eyes fell on the drawing Emma was pointing at and it was a beautifully done charcoal drawing of the both of them from their days at Hydra. Bucky could see himself in full Winter Soldier gear, the mask and goggles and everything, with a small, seven year old version of Emma balanced on his hip as he held her in his arms. It was a beautifully drawn picture but Bucky always hated the Winter Soldier. He just couldn't understand how Emma could draw the Winter Soldier as something so beautiful when in reality he was so ugly.

"You're such a talented artist, Malen'kaya" Bucky murmured as he continued to stare at the picture sadly. Emma frowned when she saw the look on his face.

"You don't like it?" Emma asked him, sounding hurt and Bucky immediately shook his head. That wasn't what he meant, at all.

"No, I-I do like it." Bucky told her, sounding unsure of himself as he then hurriedly explained his reaction to her. "I just don't understand how you can draw the Winter Soldier with such beauty. The Winter Soldier was a monster."

"Not to me." Emma said, sounding very sure of herself as she told him this. "I knew you when you were the Winter Soldier but I saw the Bucky Barnes in you too. I love you both. I'll always accept every part of you. Do you think you can accept every part of me even though I was a monster too?" Bucky looked at her in disbelief.

"You're not a monster, Emma. You never were." He told her and Emma rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Do you think you can accept all the bad parts about me…all the bad things I've done?" Emma asked him and Bucky's gaze softened as he looked down at her.

"Of course." Bucky said softly and Emma just looked back at him, a look of pure love and admiration in her eyes. Bucky never understood why she had always looked up to him so much…why she looked at him like some sort of role model. She had always followed him around and Bucky had never really known why.

"No one will ever understand you like I do." Emma told him sincerely and Bucky knew she was right. Not even Steve could ever understand him. "No one will ever understand me either…not like you." It was true in a way too. Emma had Peter but she knew that Peter would never completely understand everything in her past. He could look past it and not judge her for any of her actions but he wouldn't be able to understand her like her father did.

"Show me another picture." Bucky told her to change the subject. Emma just smiled happily as she flipped the page and showed him all of her artwork. She had drawn a lot of different people which included a lot of drawings of Steve but also other interesting drawings. One of which depicted Tony Stark being eaten alive by a giant snake. Not all of them were of people though. There were some pictures she had drawn of places…things. Some looked quite peaceful and tranquil while there were others that looked darker…scarier. However, there was one picture in particular that captured Bucky's eye. It was another charcoal drawing but this time it wasn't of him. It was a drawing of someone, a boy, fast asleep on a bed next to a window which showed the light from the moon streaming in. What gave Bucky some pause was the fact that the drawing of the sleeping boy had such detail attached to it. Bucky also thought that he might've seen the boy before but he wasn't sure why. There was something familiar about the boy in the drawing but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Who's this?" Bucky asked her and Emma immediately blushed when she realized he was staring at the drawing she had done of Peter forever ago which also happened to be the winning piece for the art showcase. Emma immediately flipped the page to a less suspicious picture she had done of a snake trying to murder Betty Brant.

"Oh, that was nothing, Papa. Just something I saw in a movie once." Emma hurriedly explained and Bucky narrowed his eyes at the nervous look on her face. He had never known her to be a nervous person.

"Right…" Bucky said, not completely sure if he believed her and he was about to question her about it more when Steve walked into the room. Emma immediately set her sketchbook down to give Steve her full attention.

"So…how did everyone take it?" Emma asked as Steve leaned against her bookshelf. Steve had a grim look on his face before answering.

"Not well as you can imagine but we're working through it." Steve said although the expression on his face softened a bit once he looked at Emma. "I am glad that you told me. You know that, right? I'm proud that you did." Emma shrugged like she didn't care even though she did.

"I should've done it a long time ago." Emma said quietly and her father just wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to him. Steve then gave his granddaughter a rather curious look when he remembered something else from the meeting.

"That boy…the one you said you're friends with. Peter. He said that you told him about this." Steve said and her father looked at her in surprise. Emma chewed on the side of her cheek anxiously, afraid that she might've hurt her father and Steve's feelings somehow. She took a deep breath before she started to explain herself to them. She didn't want them to think that they weren't as important to her as Peter was because that wasn't true at all.

"I-I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about how I could tell this boy something about myself that I never even told the two of you." Emma stated before she looked at her father and then glanced at Steve. "It's just that…I was going through a lot in that period of time. The nightmares were getting bad and I just couldn't deal with it alone anymore. I needed to talk to someone about it so I confided in Peter because I knew that I could trust him." Steve nodded in understanding because he suddenly understood why Emma confided in a boy he barely knew. It was because she was lonely and just needed someone to talk to. Steve understood but he felt guilty that he wasn't around for her to talk to.

"It's okay, Emma. I get it." Steve said and Emma was just relieved that he didn't seem hurt by this news. "I'm just glad you had someone you could confide in while we were gone."

"What's with that kid, anyways?" Bucky muttered as he glared at the floor. Both Steve and Emma looked at him in surprise. "Ever since I've got here, he's just always trying to insert himself in every little conversation."

"You only spoke to him for like, five minutes." Emma pointed out, confused as to why her father seemed to have a problem with Peter. She would understand it if her father knew that her and Peter were dating but he didn't. Her father just knew him as this random kid who rambled on for like five minutes the day before. Bucky just shook his head.

"I didn't like the way he talked to me yesterday." Bucky grumbled as he remembered the confident look on the kid's face during the meeting before trying to mimic Peter's voice by talking a couple octave's higher. "They won't get her, Mr. Barnes. I won't let that happen. I promise." Emma almost wanted to laugh at the way her father made her boyfriend sound like some kind of sixth grade boy scout but she knew she couldn't do that. Peter was her boyfriend and as his girlfriend she was supposed to stick up for him even if her father and Steve didn't know he was her boyfriend. Besides…Emma was the only one allowed to make fun of him.

"Okay, Papa. What's your problem with Peter?" Emma questioned and Bucky was taken back by her annoyed tone. Even Steve was. Bucky didn't think he had ever heard Emma take an annoyed tone with him before.

"What?" He questioned.

"You barely spoke to him yet you seem to hate him for some unexplained reason." Emma said and her father sighed. A sad look then crossed his face and Emma immediately felt sorry for the way she talked to him.

"I don't hate him. I guess I just didn't like what he was implying." Her father, sounding both guilty and hurt. Emma and Steve were beyond confused at this point but Bucky explained anyways. "He just said all that stuff like I'm incapable of protecting you. I know the others blame me for not getting you out of Hydra sooner and they probably blame me even more now. They don't think I'm capable of keeping you safe."

"No one believes that, Bucky." Steve told him and Emma nodded in agreement.

"Peter doesn't believe that either, Papa. He didn't mean it like that…I swear." Emma reassured her father, careful not to spill the beans on her and Peter's relationship. "He just cares about me a lot…as a friend. I know he doesn't think of you that way. He just wants to help out in any way he can."

"And you did help Emma get out of Hydra." Steve reminded him as he gave his friend a comforting smile. "You're the one who sent us her file and her location. I never would've found out about her if it wasn't for you." Bucky just nodded but still looked a bit sad.

"I just wish I had done more." Bucky told them and Emma hugged her father, wanting to communicate to him that none of it was his fault. They were both victims of Hydra and in the end he had done the right thing by helping her leave. It didn't matter how long it did or didn't take him. It spoke volumes to Emma that he loved her enough to let Steve find her and take her in, knowing that it would be a long time before they would see each other again. Emma pulled away and Bucky felt a lot better than he had before. Mostly because every time Emma hugged him, he felt like a good person. He only wished that he had been more affectionate with her during their time at Hydra but the Winter Soldier had never cared much for affection then.

"Papa, you've done more than enough." Emma told him simply. They stared each other for a moment, ocean blue meeting pale blue as they seemed to speak through emotions rather than words. Emma and her father were never the most vocal pair, after all. Talking was never their thing…well, it was never his thing. Emma had done most of the talking back then. She gave him one last smile before she looked up at Steve, feeling the sudden need to change the subject. "Did you talk to Collins?"

"Yeah, what did he say?" Bucky asked his friend, also wanting to talk about something else…anything else. Steve had a disappointed look on his face so they both knew that he wasn't about to tell them any good news. He sighed heavily before answering.

"No, I'm afraid not. Collins basically told us to take him to Raft." Steve told them, sounding very annoyed by the lack of progress he had made with Collins.

"You're not going to give up, right?" Emma asked curiously and Steve shook his head.

"I'm hoping to try again later. Hopefully we'll turn it up a notch and bring Natasha in." Steve told them and Emma was pretty sure Natasha would be able to get information out of the guy. Natasha was supposed to be a very good interrogator. Bucky, out of his gloomy state from before, smirked at Steve.

"Well, if you ever need my help, you only have to ask." Bucky told him and Steve chuckled.

"I think I'll save you and Emma for last. Worst case scenario." Steve told them both and they all laughed. Emma gave her grandfather a smug smirk.

"I'm just happy to be included at all." Emma told him and Steve couldn't help but smile at her, just happy to be back in her company after so long. Emma's smirk then faded as she suddenly remembered what she had been about to show her father before Steve strolled in. She pulled out her yearbook from her first year of high school.

"Hey, I was about to show Papa my yearbook from last year. Did you want to see it too?" Emma asked her grandfather who only smiled back at her, clearly happy to have the honor of seeing such a thing.

"Of course." Steve said and Emma and Bucky immediately made room for him on the floor next to them. Steve sat down next to Emma, leaving her in the middle, between him and Bucky. She smiled as she opened the yearbook to show them. Steve realized that it had been a while since he had seen a yearbook. The last yearbook he had seen was the one from when he and Bucky were in high school and that was many years ago. A similar look was on Bucky's face and Steve could tell that Bucky was thinking the same thing. The two men exchanged a smile which escaped Emma's notice as she flipped to the page that showed the Academic Decathlon team.

"Is this the club Nat told me you joined?" Steve asked her as he looked at the picture curiously. Bucky stared at the picture as well as his eyes rested on the image of Emma with her nose buried in a book standing next to a girl who also had her nose buried in a book, both of them not even glancing at the camera.

"Yeah. I know it's stupid and lame but Mr. Harrington said it would look good on my college application." Emma told him and Steve looked up at her in surprise, another smile making its way across his face. A smile that might've been similar to the goofy one Peter had whenever something made him happy.

"College? You want to go to college?" Steve asked her and Emma shrugged as if this wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

"I was thinking about going to art school when I graduate. There's a couple of really good ones in the city so I don't think I'll have to leave." Emma said and Steve wanted to ask her what had brought this on because the Emma he knew from a year ago had laughed at the idea of going to college. What had changed in a year? Steve didn't know but he also didn't want to ask because he was afraid she'd change her mind.

"That's good, Emma. That's really good." He told her softly and Emma just nodded before she started to name some of her friends from the picture.

"There's Michelle." Emma said as she pointed to the frizzy haired girl with her nose buried in a book. Steve assumed that this was the same Michelle she had him about the day before. "She's the current captain of the team. She's pretty smart, I guess."

"Oh and there's Peter and Ned. Ned's okay, I guess, but I mostly just put up with his shit because he's Peter's friend although he's nowhere near as annoying as Parker." Emma said, downplaying the fact that she actually did consider Ned to be a close friend to her as well. Bucky couldn't help but notice that she insulted the same friend she had defended less than five minutes ago. Bucky and Steve both stared down at the image of Peter and the one she called Ned in the picture. They were standing a ways away from Emma and Michelle but unlike Emma and Michelle, who both had their noses buried in books, the two boys were happily smiling at the camera. Steve also couldn't help but notice how all the students photographed in the picture were wearing bright yellow blazers. Steve assumed this was the uniform and he would love to one day see Emma wearing the uniform in person. Bucky was just mystified at the fact that Emma was doing normal teenage stuff with teenage friends. He was happy for her…beyond happy actually.

"There's Flash but I hate him." Emma said as she pointed out Flash Thompson, a short Hispanic boy with a cocky grin on his face. Bucky already didn't like him because of how smug the guy looked. "He's such a little asshole."

"Language." Steve scolded and Emma rolled her eyes while her father just looked amused.

"But he is, Steve. He's always hitting on me in a way that he thinks is attractive but really isn't. He doesn't realize that he's just embarrassing himself." Emma told him and Bucky's smile fell off his face when she said that. The idea of a boy, any boy, hitting on Emma was enough to make Bucky want to strangle the life out of any boy who dared to look at his daughter in a less than appropriate way. "Anyways…I tried to convince Peter to let me throw him off the Washington Monument but he said that he didn't want to commit murder with me because murder's bad. Boring!" Steve glared at her but the furious look faded from Bucky's face when he heard her say that. He smiled at her again. It was a proud smile because he knew he taught his daughter well. If Steve wasn't there, Bucky would probably tell her how proud he was of her. Maybe he'd tell her later.

"Emma, that boy shouldn't talk to you like that but you can't kill someone just because you don't like them." Steve lectured and Emma sighed. She kind of wished she could but she knew she couldn't just say that to Steve. Her father, yes, but not Steve.

"I know, Steve. Peter gives me the same speech all the time." Emma told him as she rolled her eyes before she deepened her voice in an attempt to mimic her boyfriend. "Emma, we can't kill Liz's father because Liz is our friend. No, Emma, you can't just kill Flash even if he's a terrible person. Emma, you can't kill Betty either. Emma, stop beating up that drug dealer. You're going to kill him. Emma, you can't just buy weapons from black market dealers." Steve and Bucky both stared at the teenager in amusement, not used to hearing her joke around like this. She just sighed tiredly.

"He can be a real pain in the ass sometimes." Emma muttered but she didn't include the part where she usually said, 'but I love him'. Steve shook his head as he chuckled in amusement.

"Well, I'm glad you've made some friends. Especially Peter. He seems very nice." Steve told her before giving her another pointed look. "I just wish he could be a positive enough influence to get you to stop swearing." Emma just smirked at her grandfather.

"No boy, not even Peter, can change that." Emma said and it was probably the first honest statement she had made about what Peter meant to her since everyone had gotten back. Steve gave her another amused look as Bucky then noticed someone else in the picture. There was a girl standing next to the teacher in the picture. She was a very pretty looking girl with dark skin and soft, delicate features. The girl had a kind smile on her face as she smiled at the camera.

"Is this your friend too?" Bucky inquired curiously and Emma looked down at the picture and saw who he was talking about. Both men watched as the teenager's face scrunched up in disgust with an unreadable emotion in her eyes as she scoffed.

"Liz Allan?" Emma questioned bitterly. "Yeah, right." Steve and Bucky shared a confused look before looking at Emma.

"Why? What's wrong with Liz Allan?" Steve asked her in concern, not understanding the disgust in Emma's voice. "Was she mean to you?" Emma crossed her arms as she…pouted? Steve couldn't be sure if she was pouting. He wasn't sure if he had ever seen her pout. Bucky might've seen her pout when she was a little girl but it had been a long time.

"No, she was just so annoyingly nice. It was revolting to see." Emma muttered as she looked away from the image of Liz. It's not like Liz was an awful person or anything. Emma knew that. It was just that she had always been jealous of Liz Allan because Peter used to be so over the moon about Liz. Liz was all he used to talk about and she still remembered all the times he drooled over her in the cafeteria. It was annoying and Emma didn't really see what the big deal was about the girl. She was just so boring…and nice. Totally not Peter's type. Emma liked to think that she was Peter's type because she was obviously the more interesting and adventurous type than boring ole' Liz Allan. Not to mention Liz was way too old for Peter anyways. Who wanted an older woman when they could have a younger one like "ahem" Emma was.

"Not to mention she was super old and not that hot anyways. She was actually really hard to look at…kind of like Medusa. You'd turn to stone if you looked her in the eyes. She was that hideous." Emma said as she went on about how ugly Liz Allan was. Bucky stared at Emma like there was something wrong with her. He couldn't tell if Emma was joking or what. She was acting very odd. Steve just gave the teenager a look of disapproval.

"That's not a very nice thing to say, Emma. I raised you better than that." Steve told her and Emma rolled her eyes. "Besides…this girl isn't hideous. She's a very nice looking young woman."

Steve right away could tell that he said the wrong thing as Emma glared at him. It was the same look on her face that Peggy had when she caught him kissing that woman at the base…the same look as when she shot that gun at him and he had to use his shield as defense. Peggy was right. He still didn't know a thing about women. Whatever this was, it was clear to both Steve and Bucky that Emma had something very personal against the kind looking girl in the picture.

"Not you too. Why is everyone so in love with Liz Allan?" Emma grumbled as she crossed her arms. "Well, you'll never meet her anyways because she moved away to Oregon. Greatest day of my life the day that girl moved away. She should stay away too if she knows what's good for her." Steve and Bucky stared, almost afraid of the way she was acting. She wasn't scary like Viper Assassin scary but she was scary like teenage girl scary which was something they weren't used to when it came to Emma. Bucky was the bravest one as he approached Emma first and decided to change the subject from Liz Allan. Whoever Liz Allan was, Bucky could tell that Emma really didn't like her. Bucky was smart enough not to ask why. He cleared his throat awkwardly as he carefully approached this situation.

"Why don't you show me your yearbook photo and we can all forget about this terrible and hideous Liz Allan girl." Bucky said slowly as he emphasized the words "terrible" and "hideous". He gave Steve a look, signaling for him to go along with this. Steve nodded furiously and thankfully Emma wasn't paying attention.

"Really?" Emma asked quietly and Steve smiled at her.

"Yes, let's look at your picture instead because you're way prettier than Liz Allan. A thousand times prettier." Steve said weakly. He wasn't as good at lying as Bucky was. It had always been that way. Even when they were just kids. Not that he was lying by saying Emma was prettier because she was prettier than any other girl. She was his granddaughter, after all, but Steve usually didn't say rude things about people. Especially people he didn't know like this Liz Allan girl. Fortunately, Emma seemed way too distracted to notice Steve's odd behavior.

"Obviously." Emma stated, seeming happy that Steve and her father were on her side. She then flipped the page from the image of Liz Allan. She spent the rest of the time showing Steve and her father pictures from the yearbook. Whether it was her yearbook picture, the picture of the art showcase she had won, or the school trip to D.C. last fall. Emma showed them everything and talked them through all the adventures her and her classmates had been on. The adventures were nothing like any Avenger missions but they were far more interesting to Steve and Bucky then some boring mission.

The only thing Emma neglected to show them was the page in the yearbook dedicated to the Academic Decathlon's trip to London which featured a picture that would threaten Emma's secret. The inscription of the picture read, 'Here are sophomores Peter Parker,16, and Emma Lewis, 16, in a romantic pose in front of Big Ben in London during their school trip for the Academic Decathlon in February'. The picture showed Emma wrapped up in Peter's arms as he held her close to him, his eyes closed in content as he kissed her cheek and her face lit up in happiness as she laughed at him. Yeah, some things were definitely meant to be kept for later because she was sure her father and Steve wouldn't buy the little white lie that Peter was her friend if they saw that picture. They weren't that stupid. So Emma showed them everything else and they spent an hour laughing and talking together despite the severity of the situation. It was almost like they were a family. Well, no.

They were a family.

---

"Susan, it's been a while." Steve stated as he and Susan were reunited for the first time since that kiss from over a year ago. The reunion was slightly awkward as everyone ate lunch in one of the many working kitchens inside the compound. Not everyone had made it to lunch. Just Sam, Darcy, Susan, Emma, Steve, her father, and Peter. She suspected Peter was just there because he wanted to see her and she felt the same. They hadn't spoken or seen each other since yesterday afternoon anyways which was unusual because they were usually attached at the hip.

"Yes, it has." Susan said softly as the two stared at each other. Emma and her father just stared at the two as they ate their lunch.

"I have a feeling that this is going to get really awkward." Emma mentioned to her father who just nodded in response.

"I have the same feeling." Her father replied as they continued to watch the awkwardness between Steve and Susan. Emma didn't really spend much time with Susan but only because she felt like Susan was more serious and less fun than Darcy. Darcy basically let Emma do whatever she wanted which Emma appreciated. Not that Emma didn't like Susan but Emma didn't like being told what to do. Jane giving her and Darcy disapproving looks was bad enough.

"What is this? Some kind of daddy/daughter assassin day?" Darcy Lewis asked as she took a seat across from Emma and Bucky. The brunette then took a long look at Emma's father and she had to say that she wasn't disappointed…although all those pictures of the guy didn't do him any justice. Bucky Barnes was even hotter in person. Why was she always attracted to the bad boys? Well, she wasn't so sure that Emma's father could be considered a bad boy anymore. After his time in Wakanda she knew that he was doing a lot better or at least according to Shuri, that is. Shuri who happened to be a princess and T'Challa's sister. Darcy just wanted to say how amazing she thought it was that she had met three members of a royal family in her lifetime. Meeting Thor had been kind of amazing the first time around but T'Challa and Shuri too? Wow.

However, Darcy was slightly more interested in Bucky Barnes who was all kinds of good looking.

"No, this is a 'Watch Steve Miserably Fail to Flirt' day. Isn't that right, Papa?" Emma asked her father before turning to look at him only to see that he was discreetly checking out Darcy. Darcy was not an unattractive woman with her wide blue eyes, long brunette hair, and curves. She probably didn't look too unlike the women from her father's time. However, the last thing she expected to see was her father checking out a woman. Emma didn't know how she felt about this.

Sam made a face of disgust at the way Bucky was subtly checking out Darcy's cleavage. The last thing he needed to be thinking about was the image of Barnes trying to get it on with Darcy. Emma sat there in silence as she stared at the two with an unreadable look on her face. Peter, who was sitting next to Sam, also seemed a little disgusted by the scene but he was also kind of surprised to see Emma sitting there with a face void of all emotion. She didn't look disgusted but she didn't look happy either. Peter couldn't tell what she was thinking as she just sat there and watched her father and Darcy, looking...dumbfounded. Yes, dumbfounded was the word. It then hit Peter that he didn't think that he had ever seen his girlfriend look dumbfounded by anything before.

"Uh…yeah." Bucky said as he looked at Darcy distractedly, not sure what to make of the mysterious woman sitting in front of him. Emma frowned.

"Papa, this is Darcy. Darcy…Papa." Emma introduced hesitantly and Darcy smirked as she learned forward, taking Bucky by surprise.

"Do you want me to call you daddy too? I can if you want." Darcy asked flirtatiously and Bucky actually blushed. He really…blushed. Emma didn't think she had ever seen her father blush before. It was shocking to see but also troubling. Wait…why was it troubling? Darcy just laughed at the expression on the man's face.

"Relax, I was just joking." Darcy told him and Bucky just awkwardly cleared his throat as he changed the subject, still not used to how forward women could be in this day and age. However, Bucky thought that he just might like how forward they were.

"Emma was telling me that she's been staying with you in the city while she goes to school." Bucky mentioned, trying to be more serious and suddenly Emma's felt invisible. It was a feeling she never had before when she was around her father and it scared her. "I guess I should thank you for looking out for her." Darcy just shook her head.

"It's not a problem. Emma's a handful but this past year's been fun. More excitement than just hanging out around boring Jane and her lame science stuff." Darcy said and Bucky seemed a little taken back by the woman's odd sense of humor. Not in a bad way but he was just a little…curious he guessed you could say. Emma felt her heart race as she looked between the two adults but her heart wasn't racing the usual way it did whenever Peter kissed her or held her. This was different. Emma was worried but she had a feeling why as she looked at the interested look on her father's face. Steve had always told her how much of a ladies man her father was back in the day. Why should it surprise her that he was very much interested in the female sex now that he was back to being Bucky Barnes.

"Well, I still appreciate it." Bucky told her and Darcy just shrugged.

"It was nothing. Besides…I'm sure you and Steve can catch up by seeing the little video diary I made." Darcy said and the amused look fell right off Emma's face. She had almost forgotten about the videos. "It shows everything. Emma's first day of school, the Homecoming dance, and it even shows Emma and Peter's first-" Emma then kicked the leg of Darcy's chair, causing the brunette to fall to the floor with a loud yelp. Bucky and Sam immediately went over to help Darcy, looking very concerned but Peter knew that Darcy just hadn't fallen out of her seat by accident. He looked at his girlfriend who didn't look to be the least bit guilty.

"Are you alright?" Bucky asked the woman who only nodded. Emma rolled her eyes at the way everyone came to Darcy's rescue. Geez, all the woman had done was fall onto the floor. They were acting like she had been shot or something.

"Yeah, Darcy will be fine. She's just a huge klutz." Emma said without emotion. The two men carefully helped her up and Darcy actually blushed as Bucky's eyes met hers. He seemed to have um…really strong hands. Not to mention the muscles on him were kind of hot. She wondered what he looked like without a shirt on. Probably even hotter. Bucky Barnes really was a DILF as it would turn out.

"Uh…thank you." Darcy told him, seeming more shy than ever.

"Don't mention it." Bucky told her, giving her that warm and charming smile that Emma was slowly growing accustomed to seeing him make. Darcy seemed to almost melt from the sight of the smile but Emma didn't seem too pleased as she narrowed her eyes at the two. She thought she was the only girl that could make him smile. Now he was smiling at Darcy? Emma didn't think she liked this. She was fine with him having a one-night stand to maybe release tension, after not having been laid for probably seventy years, but she didn't like the thought of him paying attention to a girl who wasn't her. Emma had only just gotten him back. She didn't want Darcy, of all people, taking her father's attention away. Her father was hers and hers alone.

"Papa…Sam. You should go help Steve with Susan." Emma said in that bossy tone of hers that always amused Peter. Peter didn't really understand the look on her face as she looked between her father and Darcy. Well, he did know that look but that was a look he had only seen her make when she was jealous. But why would she be jealous? Peter didn't understand. "At this rate he won't get laid for another seventy years."

"Em's right. Steve's not looking too great over there." Sam stated as he glanced over at a blushing and stuttering Steve Rogers. Bucky reluctantly tore his gaze from Darcy, still mystified by the odd brunette woman who probably knew about his past but still didn't seem frightened.

"Yeah, I guess." Bucky said as he and Sam started to walk over to Steve and Susan. Emma didn't miss the way her father snuck a glance back at Darcy from other her shoulder and the sight made Emma more annoyed than before as she clenched her fists. The blonde then turned to glare at Darcy who still seemed to be staring at Emma's father. Emma stepped in Darcy's line of sight, blocking her view.

"What do you think you're doing?" Emma snapped once she was sure her father was out of ear shot. Darcy looked at her in confusion.

"What?" Darcy asked her and Emma huffed in annoyance as Peter went to Emma's side, ready to mediate the situation if it got too much out of hand. He could tell Emma was really pissed for some reason. Peter was just glad that it wasn't him that she was mad at this time.

"You almost told him about Peter and I, you moron." Emma stated as she looked at the woman like she was stupid.

"I don't get it. Why is that a problem?" Darcy asked her and Emma groaned.

"In case you haven't noticed there's kind of a lot going on. Hydra, Rumlow, Ugalde, Tesseract powered weapons, and let's not forget the fact that I had to tell everyone that I was raped." Emma said darkly and a sympathetic look came over Darcy's face as she remembered being informed a few hours ago of the news. The news had devastated her which was to be expected since her and Emma had gotten a bit close this past year but Darcy just felt bad that Emma hadn't felt like she could talk to her about that. She wished that she had done more to make Emma feel like she had more people to talk to…to trust, but it was obvious that she had confided in Peter so Darcy was happy that at least Emma had someone she was able to talk to even if it wasn't her.

"I heard about that. I'm really sorry, Emma." Darcy said, sounding a bit sad but also not knowing what was the right thing to say to someone in a situation like this. She had tried acting normal around her before because how else was she supposed to act? She didn't think Emma would appreciate her coddling or pitying her. Darcy was afraid for the person who ever did pity Emma because the blonde made it clear that she hated pity. Emma just rolled her eyes.

"Look, whatever. I just kind of didn't want to drop Peter and I's relationship on them too and give them a heart attack." Emma said and Peter nodded in agreement.

"Emma's right. I think it's best if we wait to tell them. Now's not the best time." Peter said in a much nicer way than Emma.

"I would just appreciate it if you could hold off on showing them the videos for now." Emma muttered as she tried to take a leaf out of Peter's book and also be nice but being nice wasn't easy for Emma to do. Especially considering the way Emma had seen Darcy and her father staring at each other earlier. Darcy nodded, seeming more agreeable than usual.

"Yeah, sure. I can do that." Darcy told them, still sounding distracted as she tried looking past Emma to catch another glimpse of Emma's hot DILF of a dad. Emma narrowed her eyes at the brunette as she crossed her arms. Peter looked worriedly in between the two because he knew Emma was mad but he just didn't know why.

"Another thing, Lewis." Emma said with a sharpness to her voice. Darcy looked up at the tall girl in surprise because it was rare that Emma ever referred to her by her last name. "Keep your hands off Papa." Darcy just stared at the girl in surprise and so did Peter. That was literally the last thing Peter expected to come out of her mouth.

"Excuse me?" Darcy asked, thinking she had heard Emma wrong but the girl's glare was unwavering.

"Papa's mine. He's not yours." Emma said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "I don't care if you have sex with him but Papa having a relationship is the last thing he needs right now. He's very fragile and delicate and I won't have any woman, even you, messing around with his head." Darcy laughed because she really didn't know what else she could do.

"Hold on, Em. First off, if I see a man with a hot bod then I'm definitely going to look. No one can stop me." Darcy told her as she tried to laugh off Emma's remark. Peter just realized that he would probably never stop trying to solve the mystery that was Emma Rogers. The Winter Soldier being fragile and delicate? Yeah, right. That was the last two words Peter would use to describe that man.

"Second, I was just checking your DILF of a dad out. I'm not going to marry him or anything. Geez, I'm not you. I don't obsess over marrying the man of my dreams."

Emma decided to ignore that snide little comment as she moved on with her little speech although a dreamy look had come over Peter's face. Did Emma really dream about marrying him? He kind of hoped so. Sometimes he dreamed about their wedding. Emma in a pretty white dress like in Say Yes to the Dress as she walked down the aisle to him. Ned would, of course, be his best man and Emma's father and grandfather would both walk her down the aisle. Captain America would give him a proud smile before going off to sit in the front row next to Tony and May while Emma's father would smile happily at him, clapping him on the back and telling him just how much Peter was the perfect son-in-law. Emma would then forever become Mrs. Parker which was Peter's dream and they'd live happily ever after in a big mansion with a really cute dog and loads of children that all looked just like Emma with pretty blonde hair and beautiful ocean blue eyes. Mr. Rogers and Mr. Barnes would come over to babysit when he took Emma out on date night and everything would be perfect. Peter could just see it now.

"Papa belongs to me." Emma hissed, disrupting Peter's romantic daydream. Darcy looked at the blonde in disbelief. "He was mine first and I won't let anyone take him away from me."

Peter couldn't believe what was really happening right now. It seemed like his daydream had made him more out of touch with reality than he thought. Were Emma and Darcy really fighting over the Winter Soldier? That seemed kind of insane to Peter. He understood that Emma was probably protective over her father like he was protective over May but he would never get jealous if Aunt May showed interest in a guy. Peter would be happy for her even if it was kind of awkward.

"Emma, your dad's not a possession." Peter tried to tell his girlfriend politely. "I mean, you wouldn't expect him to say that about you, right? You wouldn't want him to feel that way about us." Emma just clenched her jaw.

"That's different." Emma told him and Peter wanted to groan because she could be so stubborn sometimes. He loved her but she was really stubborn. Emma gave Darcy a sharp look.

"Just stay away from Papa." Emma told her before storming off.

Darcy watched her walk away in shock but at the same time she still didn't feel threatened. Darcy knew that Emma didn't mean any threats but it was still perplexing how possessive Emma was over her father. She supposed since Emma and her father were all each other had left in Hydra that they had a very close bond but it was still alarming how attached she was to the man. Peter gave Darcy an apologetic look as he followed Emma out of the room. Her father and Sam were much too preoccupied with Steve and Susan to notice her sudden departure but not Steve. The super soldier watched her leave with a curious look on his face. Especially as he watched Peter run after her. He narrowed his eyes at the sight as Bucky and Sam attempted to be his wingmen with Susan. What was going on around here?

---

"Emma! Emma, wait up!" Peter called but he didn't catch up to her until she was in the recreational area of the compound. He found her there, leaning against the wall, as she stared out the window. For a moment he wanted to be mad at her for being so mean to Darcy but it wasn't until he heard her sniffle that the angry look fell off his face and a more sympathetic one took its place. Peter didn't hesitate in wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him. Emma buried her face in his neck as he held her in his arms.

"Emma, why are you crying?" Peter asked her softly and Emma shrugged.

"I don't know." She muttered and Peter pulled away to give her a look. She looked embarrassed like she always did whenever she cried even though Peter repeatedly told her that she had nothing to be embarrassed about. He tentatively wiped the tears from her face because he knew the truth.

"Yes, you do." Peter told her and Emma sighed heavily, looking somewhat guilty.

"I just got Papa back. I've spent so long without him." Emma said quietly and Peter nodded although he wasn't sure where she was going with this.

"I know, Emma. But he's here now. You don't have to spend any more time away from him." Peter said to her but Emma didn't seem so sure.

"I do if Darcy makes her move on him." Emma grumbled and Peter gave her a look of disbelief.

"Are you seriously jealous of Darcy? He's your dad, not your boyfriend. I'm your boyfriend." Peter tried telling her but Emma almost seemed to be pouting.

"But I don't want some woman stealing him away from me when I've only just gotten him back. I just missed him so much." Emma admitted and Peter finally understood her actions. "There's so many things I want to do with him and so many things I want to tell him. I'm just afraid he'll ignore me and forget about me if there's another woman in his life. It's bad enough that Steve's already preoccupied with Susan. Not Papa too."

"Emma, I'm sorry but you're being ridiculous." Peter told her and Emma looked back at him in surprise.

"What?" She questioned and Peter just chuckled.

"Your dad's not going to forget about you, Emma. He loves you." Peter told her honestly, trying to make Emma see the sense in all of this. "He's also not just going to fall in love with Darcy at first sight. I mean they did seem to be sort of interested in each other but that doesn't mean they're in love. Darcy looks at every guy like that and your dad…well, I don't know about him but he doesn't love Darcy. That's insane. Besides…we didn't fall in love at first night, did we?" Emma just scoffed.

"No, you were too busy drooling over Liz Allan." Emma told him and Peter rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha. Very funny." Peter said before speaking in a more serious tone. "Emma, you need to realize that you're father missed you as much as you missed him. You're his main focus right now and you have no reason to be jealous." Emma sighed heavily.

"I guess I was overreacting a little." Emma said reluctantly and Peter raised an eyebrow.

"A little?" Peter asked her and Emma rolled her eyes before laughing. Peter was just happy that he finally managed to get her to laugh. "You just need to calm down. Your dad's here now and he's not going anywhere."

"You're right. I know." Emma admitted and Peter was just surprised that she was saying that he was right because she never admitted anyone was right. Except for maybe herself. "It's just hard not being possessive of him when he's been away for so long."

"I know but he's not going anywhere anytime soon. Okay?" Peter said reassuringly and Emma just nodded, knowing deep down that her boyfriend was right. She was being ridiculous. Was she actually being jealous of Darcy because her father had shown a small amount of interest in her. Of course, he'd show interest in Darcy. It had been who knows how many years since her father had probably had sex. It had probably also been a while since a woman showed interest in her father despite knowing his past. Emma wanted her father to be happy, after all. So she supposed that even if he managed to start dating someday she'd be happy for him. It would kind of make her a hypocrite if she couldn't be happy for him.

Emma knew there was a lot of women out there that would probably be interested in her father. Serial killers in prison got married all the time. Hell, even Ted Bundy managed to knock up some woman while in prison and Emma knew her father wasn't a psychopath like Ted Bundy. He was just a brainwashed former assassin for Hydra. A totally different scenario. Not to mention her father was way better looking than Ted Bundy. If Emma could manage to find someone insane enough to fall in love with her then she supposed her father could too and Emma wanted that for him. She needed to be open to the idea of that but she also needed to be okay with it.

"So…have you heard anything from May? Is she doing okay?" Emma asked him softly as she changed the subject. Peter didn't mind the change of subject because he realized that she understood what he told her. He wanted to ask her to maybe apologize to Darcy but he knew his girlfriend too well to think that she would actually apologize too. It was enough that she had talked through her feelings. Peter appreciated the fact that she no longer threw up any walls anymore when it came to feelings. They had worked past that and their relationship was one full of trust and honesty.

"She's really worried and I haven't exactly told her about everything that happened." Peter told Emma and she gave him a concerned look.

"Maybe you should…considering everything that's happened. Peter, this is a really bad situation we're in. She has a right to know how much danger you're in." Emma told him and Peter knew she was right but that wasn't the half of it.

"I know she does but…" Peter trailed off and Emma raised her eyebrows at him.

"But what?" Emma questioned and Peter shrugged but he had a sad look on his face that immediately made Emma desperate to know what the problem was. She hated it when Peter was sad since usually he was so happy and optimistic. "Peter, what's wrong?"

"Our parents knew each other, Emma." Peter stated, reminding Emma of something she had nearly forgotten about. In the midst of her father and Steve's return as well as telling them about the rape, she hadn't had time to process the information about their parents. "They worked on a mission together. No one ever told us that before. Not until now."

"I know, Peter. It's all very…odd." Emma admitted, also finding the situation strange just like Peter did. She also found it strange that Clint had talked about her mother in such a less than formal way. "The fact that all these people knew about it is even more odd."

"Do you think May knows, Emma?" Peter asked her and Emma looked at him in confusion.

"Do you mean do you think she knows about our parents?" Emma asked and Peter shook his head.

"Well, no. I meant do you think she knew my parents were in the CIA?" Peter said, looking a bit hurt at the thought May and Ben might've known about this all along. Peter didn't want to think that they had just been lying to him all this time. "They always told me that my parents worked at Columbia University. Nothing about the CIA. My parents were supposed to be boring. Just two boring people. Their jobs were never of any interest to me."

"Do you remember anything about them?" Emma asked him softly and Peter sighed.

"Not really. I mean…sometimes it's like a picture inside my head but I'm not sure if it's a memory of them or if it's a picture I've seen." Peter told her and Emma knew how he felt. She still had some memories of her parents but the memories were very blurry. They were more like images than actual memories and they were memories that should've held no importance. Memories like of her mother brushing her beautiful long red hair in the morning or her father shaving. They were memories that probably didn't make a difference in the grand schemes of things but they were also the only memories of her parents that she had that didn't consist of their murder.

"It probably sounds stupid, doesn't it?" Peter mumbled and Emma just smiled softly at him as she shook her head.

"It doesn't. I promise." Emma told him honestly and Peter gave her a hopeful look.

"Really?" He asked her and Emma just nodded.

"Really…it's like that for me too." Emma said and Peter seemed more encouraged now that he knew Emma felt similar to him. One of the reasons he thought that they could relate to each other so well wasn't just because they were teenagers with super human abilities. It was also because they both had dead parents they lost at a young age. They both knew what that kind of loss was like. The part of themselves that always felt missing…the sense of wonder at what life could've been like had their parents never died. The utter feeling of pain as the years went by and the memory of their faces became nothing more than a question mark in their minds. Peter had always been close with Ned…and Aunt May tried to understand but Emma was the only one that could truly understand that part of him.

"I have this memory of them tucking me into bed at night. Mom kisses me on the forehead and dad turns off the light. I'm not sure how real it is but it's all I have of them." Peter told her and Emma could see the tears flood those pretty brown eyes of his. Her heart melted at the sight and she desperately wanted to find some kind of way to stop the tears. Peter crying always broke her heart. "It's just hard for me to believe that they apparently had this secret life. The CIA? What were they even doing in the CIA?"

"Maria said your father was a brilliant scientist? Maybe he worked in the science department. He probably wasn't an agent or anything, Peter." Emma told him in an attempt to try and comfort him. "The lie wasn't that much of a stretch."

"But my mom too? A data analyst? What does a date analyst even do? What does that mean?" Peter said but it was clear he wasn't asking her. He was just trying to make sense of everything.

"I don't know, Peter. Your parents had secrets and secrets that probably died with them. Just like my parents." Emma told him and Peter just shook his head.

"I just can't believe that our parents really knew each other. Can you believe that?" Peter said, trying to wrap his mind around all of this. "We're…we're who we are to each other and they happened to meet seventeen years ago. Seventeen years ago? Wait…that would've been just before we were born." Emma looked at him in disbelief.

"What are you trying to say?" Emma questioned and Peter swallowed hard as he looked back at her.

"I'm trying to say that our moms could've even been pregnant with us when they met. Maria said they both stayed behind on the mission, after all. They probably met and stuff." Peter explained and Emma gave him a disgusted look.

"Ew! Are you trying to say that we met in the womb? That's the most disgusting thing I ever heard in my life." Emma said and Peter shrugged.

"Well, it wouldn't be in the womb since we're not twins or anything. It would be through the womb." Peter explained and Emma still didn't look any less disgusted.

"Yeah, because that's so much better." Emma said sarcastically and Peter actually looked a little happier than before. He seemed even excited despite the disbelief of his parent's real occupations.

"You know what this means, right?" Peter asked her, a hopeful gleam in his eyes. Emma gave him a confused look.

"What?" Peter gave her his usual goofy smile and Emma was just happy to see him smiling again.

"We're soulmates." Peter told her and the happy look fell off her face. She gave the excited looking teenage boy a disgusted look.

"Why are you being so gross today?" Emma asked him but the goofy smile didn't fade from Peter's face. "Soulmates aren't real, you idiot. That's just something people read about in those lame vampire books and I'm not talking about the cool vampires who drink human blood and sleep in coffins. I'm talking about stupid ones that drink bunny blood and sparkle."

"Well, I didn't believe in them either. Not until I fell in love you." Peter said, being his annoyingly usual cheesy self. Emma just scoffed.

"Do I look like I read Nicolas Sparks novels, Parker?" Emma deadpanned as she rolled her eyes at him. "No, because I don't buy into that shit like some fucking moron. I'm not some stupid bimbo for you to spout all your Ryan Gosling bullshit onto." Peter just smiled at her adoringly as he ignored her cynicism like always.

"You're my soulmate, Emma." Peter told her sincerely, meaning every word as he gazed back at her. He always made her feel a bit scared whenever he talked like that. Not because she didn't love him just as much as he loved her but because hearing how much someone loved you was still taking some getting used to for Emma. Steve did that to her too. Peter and him were a lot alike in that way. They didn't mind telling a person how they really felt. "I think the fact that our parents met each other is a sign. It's a sign that we were always meant to find each other…to be together."

"I don't know if I believe in that mystical shit, Parker." Emma told him truthfully as her gaze met his. "But I don't believe in coincidences either. I know I could never fall in love with anyone else."

"Me neither." Peter told her happily. Emma had always believed that Peter could easily fall in love with someone else because of her own insecurities but she completely believed him in that moment. She felt the urge to kiss him senseless or to hold on to him and never let go but she knew such an action would be risky. There was a difference between talking in hushed voices and kissing. She wasn't willing to risk it all just for a quick kiss. Even though she thought it would be completely worth it.

"Are you going to ask May about your parents?" Emma asked him abruptly, wanting to get her mind off the urge she had to kiss him. Peter's smile faded the slightest bit from his face but the look of adoration never faded from his eyes even when Emma brought up the topic of his parents again. He just shrugged before he answered her question.

"I don't know. I guess, but I'm kind of afraid." Peter told her quietly and Emma gave him a confused look.

"What are you afraid of?" Emma asked him and Peter sighed before looking back up at her.

"That she and Uncle Ben knew all this time and lied to me." Peter confessed. Emma gave him a sympathetic look.

"Hey, I get it. Okay? Adults lie to us all the time. I'm sure there's a lot of things Steve and Papa don't tell me because they think it's for my own good. God knows how many times Tony's lied to me. But just remember…" Emma said as she gently held onto his hand. "Whatever the answer is, May never meant to hurt you. When the people who truly love us lie, they never do it to hurt us. I lied to everyone for years but I never did it to hurt them. I never intended to hurt the people I did but I only ever wanted to protect them."

"Are you trying to say that May lied to protect me? Protect me from what?" Peter asked and Emma just shrugged.

"That's a question that only she can answer." Emma told him and Peter never got over how wise she was. It was like she had an answer for everything. When they argued it was annoying but in a situation like this, it was strangely comforting.

"I guess I'll just have to ask her then. Maybe I'll mention everything that's going on too." Peter mumbled and Emma smiled at him, happy that he was considering her advice but the smile fell off her face at what he said next. "I just don't have a good feeling about this, Emma. Both of our fathers were on that mission at Salazar's warehouse and now both of our parents are dead. Your parents died at the hands of Hydra and mine…" Emma furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Your parents died in a plane crash though. Isn't that what you told me?" Emma asked him and Peter just shook his head slowly.

"I don't really know what I know anymore. I thought my parents were one thing and here they are another. Maybe they didn't die like how I thought either." Peter told her and Emma had to agree with him there. It was very peculiar that both of their parents were involved in this thing with Hydra's weapons and now both were dead. Peter's parents dying might not be just another coincidence. There might be more to this than they both realized.

"We can ask Maria to look more into their deaths if you want. Maybe she can find something." Emma suggested because it was the only option she could think of but Emma doubted that Maria would be able to find anything. If Peter's parents happened to die like Emma's did, which meant at the hands of Hydra, then there would be no such record of their deaths being anything suspicious. Hydra was good at covering their tracks. Too good.

"Maybe." Peter said and she could tell that he was still deeply troubled. Emma wanted to take his trouble away…to make him as happy and carefree as he usually was. His optimistic spirit even had a way of rubbing off on her even though Emma didn't consider herself to be a optimistic person. She just hated seeing him like this and she wished she had answers for him but she just didn't. Emma barely knew more than a few facts about her own parents who were almost as much of a secret to her as Peter's parents were to him.

"We'll figure this out, Peter. I promise." She told him as she then wrapped her arms around him without hesitation. Peter allowed himself to be comforted by his girlfriend's embrace as he wrapped his arms around her too, holding her close to him. He buried his face in her long blonde hair, the sweet scent of her familiar strawberry and coconut shampoo bringing comfort to him as well. She always had a way of making him feel better in the worst situations. She didn't even have to say a word. All Emma had to do was be close to him and Peter could feel better even if everything wasn't looking so great for him.

"Thank you." Peter whispered in her ear in a voice that made Emma shiver but not from the cold. She just held onto him tighter, trying to communicate to him that everything was going to be okay. She just wanted him to know that.

Unfortunately, it right around then that Steve Rogers chose to walk into the room. The super soldier had been looking around the compound for his granddaughter ever since he watched her storm out of the kitchen. He had looked for her in her bedroom and even the training facility but he couldn't find any sign of her. It wasn't until McConaughey informed him that she was in the recreational area of the compound that he was finally able to find her but he never imagined he would find her like this…in the arms of her little friend.

Steve watched them curiously for a moment because he thought Emma might shove the boy away or yell at him but she did no such thing. In fact, it seemed like she was hugging him back which perplexed Steve even further. He had never known his granddaughter to be the hugging type. She had only hugged him a handful of times so you could imagine his surprise watching her hug the boy who she said was her friend.

"Emma?" Steve said as he awkwardly cleared his throat. Emma and Peter jumped apart at the sound of her grandfather's voice. Peter blushed a vibrant shade of red as Emma wildly searched Steve's demeanor, trying to see if they had been discovered. Emma didn't know what she would say to him if they had.

"Steve." Emma said in surprise as she tried to hide all emotion from her face. She didn't want to give anything about her and Peter away. Now definitely wasn't the time for that. They had way more things to worry about like Peter's parents.

"I saw you run off. I didn't know where you were." Steve said slowly as he looked between the two teenagers in confusion. What was going on with those two and more importantly…what was going on with Emma? She had been acting so strange ever since he had gotten back. Sam told him that she was a teenager and she was bound to go through some changes in the time he was away but Steve still felt odd about Emma's odd behavior. It wasn't the fact that she seemed so different as it was that she seemed incredibly nervous. Steve never knew his granddaughter to be a nervous person but she seemed like she needed to get something off her chest and Steve had a feeling this wasn't about the rape.

"Sorry. Peter and I were just talking about our parents and things got a little emotional." Emma told Steve in a clear and an even tone, trying to regain her composure. It wasn't like she was lying. That's what her and Peter had been talking about, after all. Peter nodded furiously, indicating that this was the truth.

"Sorry if I kept Emma away from you for too long, Mr. Rogers." Peter apologized politely, using his boyish charm. The only thing was that Emma didn't think Peter knew he had any sort of charm. It just came to him naturally which was something Emma always admired about him. Steve looked a bit taken back by Peter's politeness, knowing fully well that most teenagers Peter's age weren't polite like he seemed to be. Steve was almost reminded of the manners that he had been brought up on which caused him to look at the boy in a different light. Steve didn't really know much about the boy other than he was Emma's friend and apparent crime-fighting partner. Not to mention that he went to school with her too. Steve kind of wanted to get to know the boy better because he knew that the boy obviously meant a lot to Emma.

"Uh…that's fine, Peter." Steve said awkwardly, not really knowing what else to say to the two teenagers. "You can just call me Steve, you know." Peter already knew this because Emma's grandfather had said the same thing to him the day before but Peter wouldn't feel right calling her grandpa Steve. Emma's grandfather was basically her other dad and Peter felt really awkward being so casual with him. Especially since Steve didn't even know he and Emma were dating.

"Okay." Peter said quietly, seeming shy all of a sudden. Emma gave him an amused smile because she always thought he was adorable when he was being all shy and bashful. Peter really didn't know just how cute he was. The teenage girl didn't appear to be aware of the look of adoration on her face as her grandfather stared at her. Steve narrowed his eyes almost suspiciously as he tried to pinpoint what exactly was going on between the two teenagers.

"I thought you might like to show me some more of your artwork but if you're busy…" Steve seemed to emphasis the word "busy" with a strange kind of hesitance. Emma swallowed hard because she knew he was suspicious. She doubted he had already formed a conclusion but the suspicion was beginning to form. Steve wasn't stupid.

"No, I'd be happy to." Emma then glanced at Peter as if she was making sure he was okay with her leaving. She didn't really want to leave him alone in a time like this. "Is that okay with you, Peter?" Steve continued to look at the two in confusion because he never knew Emma to be someone who asked permission to do anything. However, Peter just smiled and nodded.

"Of course." He said and Emma seemed satisfied by the smile on his face. Peter was letting her know that he was going to be okay. She felt a little better about leaving him to go spend time with Steve.

"I guess I can show you this painting I did last spring. I've only recently dabbled in oil painting but I like it way better than Acrylic or Water Painting. I'm not sure if I'm any good at it though." Emma told Steve, seeming a little nervous to show him some of her newer artwork. Peter just smiled.

"She's being modest, Mr. Rogers." Peter told Steve, once again not using his first name. "Emma's like an art prodigy. She's amazing." Emma blushed at her boyfriend's praise and Steve just watch the two…he didn't know the word for it. Compliment each other? Be nice to each other? Steve wasn't entirely sure.

"Peter, I'm not an art prodigy. Besides…you don't know anything about art. How can you judge how good of an artist I am?" Emma said to him and the teenage boy just shrugged.

"Well, it goes to show how great of an artist you are if you've managed to make me, someone who's always found art to be a bunch of shapes and colors, interested in it." Peter told her and Steve started feeling like he was intruding on something. It was almost like he wasn't in the room and he was watching from a distance. The way Emma and Peter interacted was different than how Steve had ever seen his granddaughter interact with anyone before. It was like she and Peter were in their own little world.

Steve realized then that the two teenagers were close. Well, they had to be close, didn't they? Emma told him one of her biggest and darkest secrets so that had to mean something. Steve didn't mind Emma having friends. In fact, he was very happy that she seemed to have friends now. However, Steve noticed that Emma and this friend seemed a little too close if you know what he meant. Steve almost wanted to say that they seemed a little…cozy. But that couldn't be true, could it? Emma and this boy couldn't be anything more than friends. Steve might've suspected that the boy had something of a crush on Emma. That much was obvious from the way he looked at her but there was such a slim chance that Emma could ever reciprocate something like that. She made it clear in the past that she had no interest in boys or romance. Emma had actually seemed against the very idea of romance. Steve didn't think she was likely to just become the normal teenage girl that Steve had always wanted her to be. No, the two were probably just friends and Steve was overeacting. Natasha and Sam were always telling him how overdramatic he could be at times. Yes, that just had to be it. Emma and the boy were friends. Nothing more.

"I'd love to see this painting." Steve told her and it seemed like he had broken Emma and Peter out of whatever world they had been locked in. She blinked a couple times as if she was just remembering Steve was in the same room as them and Peter blushed once more.

"I guess we should head over there then." Emma announced as she hurriedly walked over to Steve before linking her arm through his. It was like all that time they spent together, when they were still living in the tower together, never went away. They used to be like this all the time and maybe some things didn't change. Either way, Steve forgot all about the strange way his granddaughter seemed to act whenever she was around the boy named Peter Parker.

"Well, it was nice talking to you again, Peter." Steve told the teenage boy who only seemed to blush more when Emma gave him a secret smile that escaped Steve's notice.

"Uh…y-yeah. It was nice talking to you too, Mr. Rogers." Peter told him and Steve supposed that the boy was set on calling him that. Steve wasn't so sure he minded. It wasn't often that you found a teenager who was so polite and treated people with respect. Steve had to admire the boy and whoever raised him for that. Steve just smiled at him before he led Emma away. Peter watched them go, feeling happier than he had before. He thought he could get used this. Emma having her grandfather and dad back seemed to be a blessing because she seemed all kinds of happy. Just like he had hoped.

---

It was only a short while later, when Steve was busy admiring her oil painting on canvas, that she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Emma expected it to be Michelle or maybe even Ned, both of whom she hadn't spoken to in days, but she was further surprised when she noticed that it was just her boyfriend. She was a bit confused as to why he was texting her when he was residing in the same building as her but as soon as she read the text she knew why.

Peter: I didn't get a chance to tell you this before your grandpa came but thank you. You always know how to make me feel better.

He sent another text right when she finished reading the first.

Peter: P.S. I love you. I think that's the name of a Gerald Butler movie but I really do love you.

Emma held back a laugh at his dorky text message. It wasn't often that she and Peter texted. Not having grown up around things like social media, texting, or normal teenager stuff, Emma wasn't a huge fan of it all. She really only used her phone for her music or when she needed to let someone know something important. It made her different than Peter who was at times glued to his phone. However, she told Peter from the beginning that she wasn't going to reply to his texts if he wanted to text her about stupid and pointless things. He was only to text her in case of a life threatening situation.

Peter had, of course, ignored her rule at first and proceeded to send her a bunch of pointless gifs but he soon realized that Emma was stubborn when she never, not once, responded to a single text of his. Emma was too busy to waste her time staring at a phone all day and night, waiting for a reply. Peter eventually gave up on getting her to text him and accepted the fact that Emma would rather speak in person than text on the phone. Not that he minded. He'd rather have the real thing anyways. The two spent so much time together anyways so they barely noticed the fact that they never texted. But in a time like this, Emma could see the value of texting Peter. Their relationship was currently a secret again and texting seemed to have it's benefits. Especially when it came to being able to say whatever she wanted to him without any consequences. This would just have to do until the truth came out about them. So without further thought, Emma's fingers skated across the surface of her phone as she finally texted him back.

Emma: I love you too, Spider-Twerp.

She then texted him again because she just had to let him know that she was still Emma Rogers, after all. Emma couldn't let him forget a thing like that.

Emma: P.S. I'll seriously dump you if you've seen that lame ass sappy Gerald Butler movie.

Then another.

Emma: Scratch that. I'll dump you if you've seen ANY Gerald Butler movie.

And like always, he never took her seriously.

Peter: Ok, Emma.

That smug little bastard.