Author's Note: Wow...it feels like it's been forever since I've updated and I think it has been forever, actually. I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to update these past couple chapters. It's just that I know there's a place I want to get to with this story and it's really hard doing everything in between. Not to mention I've been working on some of my other stories like One Word from You and Matter of Time. I'm going to try being faster with updates with this story.
I'm not sure what my update schedule is going to be. I think I'm going to update One Word From You next which I planned to update sooner but I got writer's block on the last part of the chapter. However, the chapter's almost finished so that should be updated soon. I'll update Matter of Time , my celeb AU fic to STNS, after that which isn't featured on here but is on Quotev, Wattpad, and Archive of Our Own. Lastly, I'll update this one before updating the Palace. I also have plans of updating Dry Bite soon too. That's sort of a rough outline of my update schedule. Nothing's exactly set in stone yet.
I also just wanted to mention my recent visit to Funko Headquarters. I don't know how I never went there before because it's not that far from where I live. If you're ever in Washington state then you really have to check it out because it's like Funko city in there. Everything you can ever imagine. I got a couple Spider-Man Homecoming Funkos and a Marvel Studios 10th anniversary chrome Loki Funko. Anyways...it's a really amazing place if you're a fan of Funko.
glagla60800: Emma talking about Loki is kind of building up until the real thing happens which still won't be for a while. I'm still really excited though. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the Emma/Peter/Michelle/Ned/Shuri team up in this chapter. There's not much time for pleasantries but there's a couple cute moments in between all the seriousness. There's some more of a dark Steve in this chapter too. Tony as well.
emmagnestised: When do teenagers ever listen, right? Tony, Steve, Bucky, and T'Challa are definitely not going to be happy in this chapter. I haven't left a review on your story in a couple chapters but I'll be sure to leave one tomorrow. I've just been a bit swamped lately.
Athena05: I'm not sure yet about a Steven Rogers Jr. cameo. I'll probably have to wait until the movie comes out to know. Maybe there's a one-shot or something in the future.
Snapplecrackles: There's definitely still a lot of things they have to work through which you'll see in this chapter. So they're still healing. I don't think Doctor Strange will make an appearance until the sequel. I'm still undecided about whether or not he'll show up in STNS. I might do a one-shot later involving him, Emma, and Peter. It's just a cute, funny idea I got inside my head but I probably wouldn't do it until after this story ends. I'm glad you're really loving Mitski by the way. I love her too and more people should know about her.
Samquinn: The Hellboy movies are probably the only Del Toro movies I haven't seen. I think I saw the first one a long time ago but I don't really remember it. I don't think it's likely I'll write that an Abe/OC fanfic since I'm not very familiar with that universe and I'm not starting up any new fanfics right now. I just have too many and I really want to focus on the ones I've already published. I'm glad you liked the chapter though.
JustJoyce: You're welcome for the list. It's kind of funny because I feel the opposite about Harry and Niall. Harry's album first and then Niall's. It's even funnier because I've never liked One Direction but I'm a really big Harry Styles fan away from that. It's just the kind of music I would listen to no matter who it was. 'Meet Me in the Hallway' and 'Ever Since New York' are a couple of my favorite songs.
I'm glad I'm writing everything in character. I always worry about that. Especially with characters like Tony and Vision who I find really difficult to write. I'm also sort of dreading writing Thor and Loki as much as I'm excited for it. They're just all really difficult characters to write so I'll definitely need to brush up on my Thor and Loki before writing a Thor: Ragnarok storyline.
Mabel: Thank you so much! That means a lot and I'm so happy you like my writing. That's a really big compliment. I have thought about writing a book. I'm thinking about writing a book with a story similar to Emma and Peter's story. Kind of like a romance but it would mostly be a drama.
I definitely know what it's like to not stick to one idea. I've bounced between stories for so long and I even have a difficult time with this one. I just have so many ideas and I never know how to settle down with just one. There's several stories I've written in the past where I started but never could finish. I think you just have to find the right idea. With Some Things Never Sleep I was just really passionate about the story, the characters, and all the relationships within it. I really fell in love with writing this story which is why I think I stuck with it for so long. I kind of feel the same way about One Word from You which is my other story on here.
BabyPinkPuppy: I'd say your brother has no taste but in all honesty he's probably just saying that to piss you off. I know because my brother used to pull the same stuff with me to make me mad. He loved annoying me. Thankfully, he's gotten past that and has matured fairly well...it only took him until he was thirty.
hjp-and-hjg: Sorry it's taken so long but hopefully this chapter makes up for the long wait.
Mcduffie145: So glad to see that you're back and reviewing. I always liked your reviews. Especially the ones about music. I know music hasn't been a part of this story for some time but hopefully my love of music can be featured in this story some time soon.
CJ993: The other Avengers are definitely not going to be impressed with Emma, Peter, and Shuri taking off. Okoye's going to be in deep shit with T'Challa for letting Shuri out of her sight but Emma, Peter, and Shuri are going to be in even deeper shit with the others for taking off. It did need to be done and hopefully the others will see that when they make their return.
Thanks for all reviews, follows, and favorites on this story, guys. It really means a lot. Please leave a review and let me know what you think about this chapter. I'll try to be faster with the next update. I'm feeling more inspired for this story lately.
"Emma, do you really need to drive this fast?" Peter questioned as his fingers dug into the seat. Emma, Peter, and Shuri were currently driving into the city in Emma's very fast Audi that Tony had given her for her birthday. She hadn't driven it in a while but she had no problem racing down the road to arrive at Peter's apartment before anyone noticed they were missing. They weren't going to have a lot of time and she knew Steve and her father would probably find out they were missing before they returned but they didn't have a lot of options here.
"If we want to make it to the apartment before Steve or Papa try to stop us then I need to drive fast." Emma told him as she sped down the road. The car had a police tracking system that would alert them if law enforcement was nearby. They didn't have time to get pulled over, after all.
"I'm fine with it." Shuri said nonchalantly from the backseat. "In fact, you can go faster if you want to." Emma just smirked at her through the rear view mirror as she pushed her foot against the gas pedal as requested. Peter swallowed hard as the car accelerated.
"Why do I feel like I'm being ganged up on?" He questioned and Emma just rolled her eyes at him.
"Relax. We're not going to get caught. I have a lot of experience with avoiding the law." Emma said as if that was supposed to make him feel better.
"That's very comforting." Peter said sarcastically.
"You worry way too much, Parker." Emma replied, remaining very calm despite the current situation. Emma's calmness was something Peter found both admirable and annoying. Admirable because she could remain calm even in the most extreme situations and annoying because Peter didn't have that same skill. "Besides..if we get caught, I'll take care of it." Peter gave her an appalled look.
"You'll take care of it?!" Peter questioned in disbelief. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that I'll take care of it." She said suggestively and she sighed heavily when she saw the look on his face. "Don't worry. No one's going to die. If worst comes to worst I'll knock them out and leave them in a ditch. They'll wake up sooner or later."
"You're not leaving anyone in a ditch!" Peter argued, horrified at her statement although he didn't know why he was shocked. Emma wasn't the most practical and conventional of people. "No one's getting hurt either."
"I'm trying to cover our asses here, Parker." Emma said, defending her idea but Peter wasn't having it.
"You're not going to knock out some poor cop who's just doing his job and leave him in a ditch." Peter told her but Emma didn't look like she was changing her mind.
"Well, he shouldn't try and stop us from achieving our mission. We're trying to save the world here, after all." Emma retorted and Peter gave her a look of disbelief.
"How the hell is he supposed to know that we're saving the world?" He questioned, not even realizing that they were arguing about a hypothetical situation. Shuri just watched their bickering in amusement, her eyes going back and forth like she was watching a tennis match. This was even more entertaining than when T'Challa and Nakia bickered, Shuri thought to herself..
"I don't care. He just needs to stay out of our way." Emma said stubbornly and Peter wanted to growl in frustration because it was impossible trying to win an argument with this girl. She was annoyingly stubborn, Peter thought she was more stubborn than him, and somehow she always thought she was right.
"I'm not going to let you hurt anyone." Peter told her in an authoritative tone which caused Emma to narrow her eyes at him.
"I thought we discussed you not thinking you can tell me what to do." Emma told him in a bitchy tone which only drove Peter crazier.
"Yes, we did. Only I'm not inclined to follow that rule when I think you're being unreasonable." Peter argued and Emma rolled her eyes once more.
"Yes, Steve. I'll be a good girl." Emma said sarcastically and Peter glared at her. She was really insufferable sometimes. However, before Peter could respond to her sarcastic comment, Shuri interrupted them.
"How did no one know that you two were a thing? You bicker like an old married couple." Shuri told them which caused Peter to blush while Emma remained uncaring. "We need to focus on finding whatever Peter's parents left behind. Isn't that the goal?"
"Yes, of course." Peter told Shuri, immediately cooling down from his argument with Emma. He had momentarily forgotten Shuri was in the backseat and he was a bit embarrassed to know she witnessed one of his and Emma's famous fights. "Sorry about that."
"Did anyone ever tell you that it's incredibly rude to eavesdrop." Emma said instead of apologizing like Peter had. Anyone who knew Emma knew that she rarely apologized for anything. Peter gave his girlfriend a pointed look while Shuri gave her an incredulous look.
"You were arguing right in front of me." Shuri pointed out and Emma shrugged.
"Roll down a window then. Play iSpy. I don't care." Emma retorted and Shuri found herself perplexed by Emma Rogers. She had never met someone who was so unapologetically rude. Maybe it was because everyone in Shuri's life had been so polite to her because of who she was. She never interacted with someone like Emma who obviously didn't care about upsetting her or not. It was surprisingly refreshing.
"Be nice." Peter told her and Emma just glowered as she sped past a couple cars that were going too slow on the road for her liking. She didn't mean to be such a bitch. She was just on edge with all this Hydra stuff going on. Emma was also nervous about what they were going to find at Peter's apartment which was saying a lot because Emma didn't like to think of herself as a nervous person.
It didn't take long before they finally arrived at Peter's apartment in the city. Emma managed to snag a parking space for herself and thank god since they didn't have much time to spare. She didn't wait long after she parked before she quickly climbed out of the car, Peter and Shuri following suit. Ned and Michelle were already waiting for them at the front of the apartment building. It wasn't until then that she realized it had been a long while since she had seen them last...since the beginning of summer, actually.
"Oh my god! Peter! Emma!" Ned exclaimed in relief when he saw them. Peter gave him a small smile before Emma just glared at him.
"Could you be any louder? Alert the whole neighborhood of our presence, why don't you." Emma snapped sarcastically but Ned just smiled at her, more than used to Emma's usual unpleasant attitude.
"It's good to see you too, Emma." Ned told her as Peter grinned at his friend, happy to see his best friend in trying times. It felt like so much had happened since he had last seen Ned and Peter didn't even know where to begin with telling him everything that happened in their brief absence in each other's lives.
"Who's this?" Michelle asked abruptly, not bothering to greet her friends, as she gave Shuri a suspicious look. Ned's eyes widened in recognition as he looked at the famous princess in surprise. Shuri looked between the teenagers awkwardly, feeling a bit out of her comfort zone since it was rare that she ever spent any time around kids her own age. Now that Shuri thought about it...she really didn't have any friends her own age. The only people she really spent time with were Okoye and T'Challa. How lame was it that Shuri's best friend was her older brother?
"Oh, this is-" Peter started to say but Ned interrupted him.
"You're Princess Shuri...of Wakanda" Ned said in awe as he stared at the teenage girl. Shuri just stared back at him, unsure of how to respond while Michelle just raised an eyebrow. "Oh my god! You guys are gone for a month and you become friends with royalty?!"
"Just call me Shuri. Please." The princess insisted to Ned, looking a tad embarrassed by the teenage boy's enthusiasm. Emma just gave Ned an unimpressed look.
"Maybe we should head inside." Emma suggested quietly as she carefully looked around them, slightly suspicious that there might be someone tailing them. She wasn't talking about her father either. "It's not exactly safe for us to be out in the open like this." Ned frowned.
"Why isn't it safe?"
"We didn't want to involve you guys in this but we really don't have a choice at this point." Peter told them when they were situated inside the living room of his apartment. May was currently at work which proved to be fortunate since Emma honestly doubted that May would be okay with them out and about on their own with Hydra out there. Peter's aunt had been okay with him staying at the compound since it was safest place right now for him but she definitely wouldn't be okay with the both of them alone on their own.
"Peter, I don't get it. What's going on?" Ned asked him, looking both troubled and annoyed. "You never answered any of my texts. You just went off grid without any explanation ever since summer began."
"You didn't answer any of my texts either." Michelle said as she looked at Emma. The blonde sighed heavily as she decided to inform her friends of the current situation despite her better judgement. Peter and her had agreed a while ago to keep them out of it but it didn't look like that was an option anymore. They were in desperate need of help if they were going to get through this in time.
"Something happened at the compound last week. Something that Tony and Secretary Ross have been working hard on keeping out of the news for fear of a widespread panic around the globe." Emma started to explain slowly to them. Both Ned and Michael exchanged a look before they looked back at Emma, Peter, and Shuri in concern. Emma only paused briefly before she gave them the news.
"Hydra attacked the compound." Emma told them, a serious look on her face. Ned's mouth dropped open in surprise and even Michelle managed to look surprised at this news.
"What?" Ned questioned as he looked at Peter for confirmation and Peter only nodded slowly.
"They came for Emma and they almost got her too." Peter explained to them, looking extremely troubled by the thought of his girlfriend almost being kidnapped by Hydra. "There wasn't much of a team left at the compound for us to hold them off. She came so close to being taken. We were really unprepared." Emma just grabbed his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.
"But I wasn't taken." She told him softly before turning back to face Ned and Michelle. "They came close but it was an unsuccessful attack."
"Wasn't…" Michelle trailed off, being her usual observant self. "You said there wasn't much of a team. Wasn't as in past tense." Emma sighed.
"In the whole aftermath of the attack, we decided as a collected group that seeking help was the best course of action to prevent Hydra from attacking the compound again." Emma said quietly and Michelle's eyes widened in surprise.
"Are you saying the others are back?" She asked her friend and Emma slowly nodded much to both Michelle and Ned's astonishment.
"My grandfather and the others have returned to help us. Shuri and her brother came with them too." Emma reluctantly admitted.
"What about your dad?" Michelle asked her and Emma nodded.
"Papa's returned too." She told them and Ned looked positively delighted by the news of the return of the Avengers.
"That's so cool! When can we meet them?!" Ned asked. "I've always wanted to meet Captain America. I mean, being best friends with his granddaughter is one thing but Captain America is a whole other thing." Emma glared at him.
"We're not friends. I only tolerate you because of Peter." Emma said scathingly although everyone knew that she was only lying to herself. As much as the young girl hated to admit it, she did have friends and people she cared about. Even Ned. "However, if you tell anyone about any of this, I swear, Leeds...Hydra will be the least of your worries."
"You can't meet the others right now." Peter said, intervening from there and giving Emma a pointed look before focusing his attention on Ned. "I think the only reason Ross hasn't arrested them yet is because he wants the Hydra problem taken care of. If anyone finds out they're out and about then he'll be forced to take action." Ned sighed heavily.
"I get it. My lips are sealed." Ned said, silently pouting that there was yet another thing he couldn't tell anyone about. First it was the Spider-Man thing and then it was the Viper Assassin thing. Now it was the Avengers are all back kind of thing.
"We're only telling you this because we're facing a huge problem." Emma told them as she looked between Ned and Michelle. "We've recently come across intel that suggests that Peter's parent's death was more than a little suspicious."
"What?" Ned questioned, looking very confused and Peter just sighed heavily before nodding.
"My parents didn't work for Columbia, Ned. They were CIA agents." Peter told Ned who gasped and Michelle who looked at Peter in surprise. "They worked with Emma's parents on a mission with Shield a long time ago...a mission that may or may not have involved Hydra."
"This all sounds a little too much like those Bourne movies." Michelle said quietly. Emma decided to step in from there because she could tell from the look on Peter's face that this was going to be hard for him to explain. He was still trying to process everything they learned this afternoon which was obvious.
"We were doing some more extensive research this afternoon and discovered a connection between Peter's parent's plane crash and Hydra." Emma informed them all with a heavy heart. "A known member of Hydra was on that same plane. We think he might've had something to do with the plane crash."
"You're saying that Peter's parents' death wasn't an accident?" Michelle said, still sounding shocked by this new information. Emma and Peter exchanged a look before she nodded.
"We believe so. Yes." Emma confirmed before moving on. "We think that they might've known something that got them killed. Whether that has anything to do with Hydra, we don't know although I have a good feeling that Hydra might have a lot to do with this."
"So what are you two doing here if Hydra's on the horizon and looking for you? Wouldn't your grandfather and everyone else be keeping a tight leash on you?" Michelle asked Emma and she swallowed hard before answering her friend.
"Steve and most of the others are currently on a mission chasing down a known affiliate of Hydra. We managed to sneak away from the others with some help from Shuri." Emma told her, giving the Wakandan princess a somewhat thankful look, before looking back at Michelle. "We have reason to believe that Peter's parents might've left something behind for someone to find."
"Something about Hydra?" Ned questioned and both Emma and Peter nodded.
"Yes." Peter told him, looking a lot more serious and melancholy than he normally looked. "We think that whatever they knew scared Hydra enough to kill them. Emma thinks they might've left something behind in case something ever happened to them."
"It makes sense if they were these secret agents you say they are." Michelle said as she nodded in agreement, taking all of this in.
"Our point is that we need to find whatever they were hiding and we need to find it fast." Emma told Michelle and Ned. "We don't have much time before the others notice we're gone. Whatever Peter's parents knew might help us a lot in taking down Hydra too. It has to be somewhere in this apartment. It just a matter of where in the apartment."
"Are you saying that you want us to help you on your super secret mission with the Avengers?" Ned asked in awe and Emma rolled her eyes. Leave it to Ned to be completely tactless in a very hard and difficult situation for Peter. Peter swallowed hard before nodding, giving his friend a weak smile.
"Yes. We need help finding whatever my parents were hiding." Peter told Ned with a certain amount of directness that was unusual for the otherwise shy and at times awkward teenage boy.
"Where should we start then?" Shuri asked Peter, moving the conversation forward because she knew that it wouldn't be long until Okoye discovered her absence. Peter cleared his throat awkwardly before nodding once more.
"Right. I guess we should split up. I'll look in Aunt May's bedroom, Shuri and Michelle can look in the living room, and Ned can search my room. Anything that looks suspicious, let me know." Peter told them and they all seemed to be in agreement over this course of action.
"I'll help you look in May's room." Emma said softly and Peter just nodded as the group started to split up. Shuri and Michelle started up a conversation, an attempt to get to know each other, as they began to search the living room for any possible clues while Ned silently went to Peter's room, determined to find whatever they were looking for.
Peter didn't say anything to Emma as he quietly walked into his aunt's room to begin the search. Emma watched him for a moment as he immediately started looking under his aunt's bed. She could tell without him saying anything that something was deeply troubling him and she knew exactly what that something was. There was no question in her mind about what was troubling him. She swallowed hard as she walked into the room, shutting the door behind her, as she prepared herself to apologize which wasn't something she did often. However, Peter was an exception to her no apology rule. Emma knew he put up with a lot where she was concerned so she was always apologizing for something she did.
"I'm sorry." Emma said quietly and Peter looked up at her, clearly not having any idea as to why she was apologizing.
"Sorry for what?" Peter questioned as he started pulling things out from underneath his aunt's bed. Emma bit her lip nervously before continuing.
"I'm sorry for being a real bitch to you back in the car. I shouldn't have picked a fight with you." Emma said, apologizing for their bickering fest back in the car. Peter just shook his head.
"It's fine. I think we're all a little on edge right now considering our situation." Peter said, brushing off her apology. Emma just took a seat on the edge of the bed, a look of concern on her face as she looked at her boyfriend.
"Some a little more than others." She murmured as he paused in his searching. "I never got a chance to ask how you're doing." Peter just sighed as he slowly sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. He shook his head and shrugged.
"I don't know, Emma. I just learned that my parents death wasn't an accident and they were these people that had a lot of secrets. I'm wondering if Aunt May and Uncle Ben even knew them at all." Peter said, sounding stressed out and horrified by the situation at hand. "I'm wondering if there was any part of them that wasn't a lie." Emma was disheartened by the sad look on his face.
"That's not true, Peter. They had secret lives, yes, but they loved you very much." Emma told him softly.
"How do you know?" He said bitterly and Emma just smiled as she grabbed his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.
"Because you're you and I know that they were good people because they're a part of you." Emma told him honestly. "My parents had secret lives too but I don't doubt that they were good people underneath it all."
"My life's just so fucked up, Emma." Peter finally said, tears flooding his brown eyes in a way that broke Emma's heart. "My parents are both dead at the hands of Hydra and my uncle was murdered in a mugging. Where do I even go from here?"
Emma immediately threw her arms around Peter and embraced him. He instantly nestled his face in her neck in response, taking comfort in the scent of her hair as well as her embrace. Peter just cried as she held him there, releasing all the emotions he felt ever since he learned of the truth behind his parents' death earlier. She didn't say anything as she held him, rubbing his back soothingly in comfort. It absolutely killed her to see him like this and she wished that she knew of a way that could take his pain away but she didn't. All she could do was hold him so he could let it all out.
"It's okay, Peter." She whispered softly and Peter finally pulled away to look at her, his cheeks still wet from the tears.
"I'm sorry for crying all over you. I must seem like a pathetic loser." Peter said, feeling slightly emasculated by his crying in his girlfriend's arms. He didn't want Emma to see him as a child who had no control of his emotions. As weird as it sounded, he wanted her to view him as a man which he didn't think she would do if she saw him crying like this. However, Emma just gently wiped the tears from his face with a compassionate look on her face.
"You're not a pathetic loser, Peter. You never have been." She told him truthfully. "It's okay to cry. I cry all over you all the time."
"Yeah but you're the-" Peter said before he stopped himself but Emma just gave him a knowing look.
"I'm the girlfriend, you mean." Emma stated and Peter blushed.
"I didn't mean it like that." Peter told her, hoping that Emma didn't think he was being sexist by saying this. "I just...well, I know that you think that I'm sensitive and not-"
"I like how sensitive you are." Emma said, interrupting him and Peter just stared at her in surprise.
"What?" He questioned and Emma just shrugged before she looked back up at him.
"I like how sensitive you are because I know you're being honest with me." Emma told him honestly, her gaze softening, much to Peter's astonishment. "You're my sweet and sensitive little Parker. I wouldn't have you any other way." Peter blushed once more at his girlfriend's honest proclamation.
"It's still embarrassing." He muttered and Emma shook her head.
"No, it's not. You're always tell me it's okay for me to cry and talk about my feelings with you and I just want you to know that you can do the same thing with me. It's a mutual kind of thing." Emma told him, wanting to make it clear that he could be vulnerable with her if he wanted and not ever feel bad about it. "You're not just my boyfriend. You're my best friend too. I'd like to think you feel the same way about me."
"I do." Peter said softly as he looked back at her. "I'm sorry, Emma. This is just really hard for me. Uncle Ben was one thing but mom and dad are a whole other thing." Emma just nodded, a sympathetic look on her face.
"I know, Peter, but we'll get through this together." Emma told him softly. He managed to smile at her when she said that.
"Thank you." He replied before looking back at Emma, a look of pure wonder and confusion on his face. "Sometimes I wonder what life would've been like if none of them had died."
"What do you mean?" Emma asked him and Peter shrugged.
"Do you ever wonder about how different your life would be if your parents hadn't died?" Peter asked her and Emma just stared back at him, honestly taken back by his question. She swallowed hard as she considered his question.
"Sometimes." Emma admitted and Peter immediately became curious since it was rare Emma ever talked about her parents. "It would mean that I would never have been kidnapped by Hydra, never would've been tortured, never forced to kill and lie, and Rumlow would've never raped me. I would've been innocent and ignorant of all the bad things in the world."
"So you think about it a lot then?" Peter inquired and Emma shrugged.
"Not really." Emma told Peter quietly. "Just when I remember something about them. Like a memory from before Rumlow came and killed them."
"What do you see?" Peter said, referring to what she saw in this imagination of a life involving her parents.
"I don't know. It's so hard to imagine." Emma admitted as she looked back at him, blue eyes meeting brown. "A life with them in it, I mean. I'd probably be an entirely different person. I probably wouldn't be much different than Betty and her stupid little friends...which absolutely disgusts me but it's the truth."
"So you're saying that you don't want a life with them in it?" Peter questioned, immensely confused by what Emma was saying. She shook her head.
"No. That's not what I'm saying at all." Emma told him before elaborating. "A life with my parents would've been great." Emma only paused briefly before continuing as Peter patiently listened to her.
"A family would've been nice and it also means that Steve would've never had to wake up from his seventy year sleep alone." Emma told Peter with a thoughtful look on her face. "We would've been there for him and although it sucks that Tony would've been a bigger part of my life than I would like, maybe everything would've turned out better for everyone involved."
"But?" Peter asked as he raised his eyebrows at her. Emma just sighed.
"But it also means that I wouldn't have known or loved Papa like I do now. It hurts thinking about a life where I don't have him in it." Emma told Peter, being more honest with him than she usually was with anyone. Even Steve. "It means that I might never have met you and I'd probably still be stuck in bum-fuck nowhere in Oklahoma."
"We might've met though." Peter said quietly. "Through Tony and your grandpa." Emma just shrugged.
"Maybe, maybe not, but I wouldn't be the person I am now." Emma told him as she continued speaking. "Despite all the terrible things I've done and the terrible thing that have been done to me, I don't think I'd want to be anyone else. I don't want to be like Betty, Liz, or Cindy because they're sheep and I don't want to be a sheep."
"I don't want to be like that. They live in their little bubbles, oblivious to what goes on in the world around them. They have no idea what the real world's like." Emma told Peter as she shook her head at the very thought of being anything like those other girls. "It's a good way to live but also a terrible way to die."
"You're saying everything happens for a reason?" Peter remarked, not at all taken back by Emma's dark and bitter behavior. It was just the usual sort of thing from Emma.
"I don't know." She admitted before continuing. "I just know, that despite how much my parents loved me and how much I still think about them, I don't think I would want any other life but this one. I'm happy."
"Really?" Peter asked her, a hopeful look in his eyes and she nodded.
"I have Papa and Steve...even the rest of the Avengers. I know I pretend to find them annoying but I do consider them to be my family." Emma told him and Peter smiled teasingly at her.
"Even Tony?" Peter questioned, knowing how much Emma pretended to hate Tony although that was actually far from the truth. "Do you consider Tony to be family too? You love him?" Emma glared at him.
"No." Emma grumbled and Peter just laughed, feeling a bit better than he had several minutes ago. Emma had a way of doing that. She had a way of getting his mind off things.
"Come on, Emma." Peter told her, giving her an annoyingly smug look. "You know you can tell me how much you love Tony." Emma mumbled something under her breath and Peter raised his eyebrows at her.
"What was that?" Peter asked her and Emma continued to glare at him before speaking a bit louder.
"I said that maybe, just maybe, I find him tolerable when he's not being an annoying asshole." Emma begrudgingly admitted. Peter just grinned at her because he knew that was basically Emma's way of saying that she loved Tony.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Peter questioned teasingly and Emma rolled her eyes at him.
"Anyways...what I was saying before was that I'm happy with my life now and especially with Steve, Papa, the others, and especially with you in it." Emma told Peter on a more serious note. "I love having you in my life, Peter. I don't think I would trade you and everyone else for anything. My life hasn't been ideal, I know that, but I like where it is now."
"I guess I kind of see your point." Peter said quietly, becoming more serious as he took in everything Emma was telling him. "I mean, sometimes I wonder what everything would've been like if my parents hadn't died but then I realize I wouldn't have gotten the life I had with Aunt May and Uncle Ben." Peter only paused briefly before continuing as Emma listened to him.
"I know that I lost Uncle Ben too but I loved every moment I had with him. There was a lot of good memories despite never having my parents around." Peter told her as he reflected on all the happy memories he had of him and his uncle. "But I also see your point too. Everything happens for a reason and maybe I wouldn't have what I have now. Maybe I wouldn't have met Tony...maybe I wouldn't have even met you."
"We can't deal with hypotheticals, Peter. It's not healthy." Emma said, telling him something she should've told him sooner. "We'll just drive ourselves crazy if we sit here and think about what-if scenarios."
"I know but I still wish that Uncle Ben could've met you." Peter told her honestly and Emma smiled softly at him.
"I wish I could've met him too." Emma told him and Peter looked at her adoringly.
"He would've been so happy for us." Peter said as he rested his hand on her knee, looking into her eyes. "He would've loved you. Uncle Ben would've said I was the luckiest guy in the entire world to get a girl like you." Emma felt overwhelmed by everything Peter said and despite how much she claimed to hate mushiness, she always felt reduced to a puddle of teenage girl sappy feelings whenever Peter talked that way.
"And I would've told him that I was the luckiest girl in the entire world to get a guy like you." Emma replied as she slowly leaned in for a kiss, her eyes fluttering shut as Peter closed the distance. Like always, she felt intoxicated by the taste of his lips and it was almost like it was just them and them alone in the room. It was like they could escape their world of problems just for a moment and not worry about what was waiting for them outside in the real world. They paused in their kiss and lingered there just for a moment, their foreheads resting against each other.
"We'll end this together." Emma whispered to Peter as they continued to linger there in their embrace. "We'll get Hydra for killing your parents and mine, torturing Papa for all those years, and for everything else they've done. We'll get them for everything. I promise."
"Thank you." Peter told her quietly and she knew that it wasn't just the promise he was thanking her for. He was thanking her for making him feel better and for listening to him.
"You don't have to thank me. I love you and you need to know that there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you." Emma told him as they still remained there in each other's arms. "You have my heart. You always will."
"I feel the same about you, Emma." Peter told her softly. "You've had my heart from the beginning and not to mention you have me completely wrapped around your finger. Not that I feel bad about that. No, not for a second."
"You're not mad because I used to be in Hydra?" Emma asked him hesitantly and Peter immediately pulled away to look at her. Bewilderment was written all over his face as he stared at her, observing the guilty look on her face.
"What?" He asked her and Emma shrugged, still looking troubled.
"I used to be in the organization that killed your parents. You would have a right to be mad." Emma pointed out and Peter shook his head furiously.
"An organization that killed your parents too." Peter told her before continuing. "A organization that kidnapped you and did terrible things to you. You didn't have a choice, Emma. Besides...my parents death happened well before you were even in Hydra. Of course, I would never blame you."
"If you're sure." Emma said quietly and the look on Peter's face softened before he leaned in, kissing her in a gesture of reassurance. His lips lingered there for a moment before he pulled away.
"I'll always be sure." Peter said as he looked back at her. "I love you too, Emma." Emma gave him a small smile, letting him know she appreciated his kind and forgiving nature. Peter didn't feel like there was anything to forgive but Emma felt that he was forgiving her just by loving her. He shouldn't but he did and she would be forever grateful.
"We should probably get back to looking for whatever your parents left behind." Emma said, changing the subject. Peter nodded in agreement as they pulled away from each other.
"You're right." He told her as they then went back to looking through everything in May's room. There was still a lot to do and they didn't have much time left. Emma was just glad that she and Peter were able to talk things through. Peter really needed that and Emma really needed to be sure that he was going to be alright. This was difficult for Peter to wrap his mind around, Emma knew that, but this was a first step into moving forward and making sure the people responsible got what was coming to them. Hydra was going to pay for what they did.
Emma was sure of that.
The Avengers landed their Quinjet on the landing pad of the compound as soon as they were able. The apprehension of Diego Ugalde had gone as swiftly as expected and while Steve had already gotten what he needed out of the man, he was sure Natasha and the others would want to question him more before Ross got his hands on him. Steve had glanced at Tony on the way home who was still alarmingly silent which was unlike him. Silent on way there and silent on the way back, Steve observed.
He should've known.
The minute they stepped off the ramp and onto the landing pad, Natasha and Sam whisked Diego off to one of the prison cells within the compound. The same area where Agent Collins was being held. Steve stepped off onto the landing pad, expecting Emma to be there waiting or at least ambush him with a hug, but there was no sign of her there. He frowned but he dismissed it as her already wishing him goodbye on the landing pad so she probably didn't see the sense in greeting him this time too. Emma was probably just inside, hopefully making amends with Bucky.
"Steve, I think we might have a problem." Clint told him which was the first thing that was said to Steve as he walked into the compound. The worried look on the man's face was troubling enough to cause Steve some concern.
"What is it, Clint? Is Emma okay?" Steve asked, his mind immediately going to Emma. Clint had a very grim look on his face as he looked up at Steve, preparing to be lectured or yelled at in the very least.
"That's the thing, Cap." Clint told him and by this time the others were drawn into the conversation as well. Rhodey, Vision, T'Challa, and Maria seemed very confused while Tony looked as worried as Steve felt. "We don't where Emma is." Steve furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"What do you mean you don't know where she is?" Steve asked, his tone cold as he narrowed his eyes at Clint who just winced before continuing.
"We've been looking for her for the past half an hour and we can't find her." Clint explained and Steve began to feel his heart rate increase as he began to panic. "We've searched all over the compound and even the forest outside. There's no trace of her."
"That's impossible." Tony stated as he took a step forward, his jaw clenched. "McConaughey was set on high alert. He would've alerted everyone the moment she took a step outside the facility."
"That's what we thought but when we asked him, he just said that she's inside the conference room which she's obviously not in." Clint replied and Steve was really starting to worry now. Could this be another ploy of Hydra's? Could they have somehow snuck into the compound and taken her right under everyone's noses?
"It's not just her that's missing." Okoye said as she walked down the stairs and onto the main level of the compound where the others were currently standing. "There's no sign of Shuri either." T'Challa's eyes widened as he looked at the general in alarm.
"Shuri? How can this be?" T'Challa asked demandingly and a guilty look crossed Okoye's face.
"The last I checked she was inside the lab. She assured me that she was fine so I decided to do a training session in the training facility." Okoye explained, looking like she regretted ever listening to the princess. T'Challa fumed as he took in this information.
"I told you to watch her, Okoye." T'Challa said, sounding more angry with her than he had ever been before. The Wakandan general looked very ashamed of herself at disappointing her king. Especially with him glaring at her the way he was.
"What about the kid?" Tony asked, looking very worried as he suddenly thought of Peter. "Where's the kid in all of this?"
"Peter's missing as well." Wanda announced as she went to stand next to Clint. "I checked the place from top to bottom and he's gone."
"When did you realize they were missing?" Rhodey asked them quietly and Clint sighed heavily.
"Not that long ago. We were going to gather them up for a meeting for when you guys got back but we couldn't find them anywhere." Clint explained. "Barnes and Fury are searching the forest right now for them but we haven't heard back from them yet."
"Someone had to of hacked McConaughey." Tony told everyone as he took out his Stark phone so that he could have a look at the state of the AI system. "It's the only explanation. I need to reboot the system and fast."
"I gave you guys one job." Steve said quietly as he looked between Wanda, Clint, and Okoye. "I only asked that you looked after Emma while I was gone because she's the top priority. She's the one Hydra's after…and yet you let her go." Steve continued as he glared at everyone. He didn't raise his voice, keeping his voice the same steady calm as before. Somehow that made it worse.
"Do you know how much danger she could be in right now?" Steve questioned as he sat in his anger and panic. "Did you forget what Rumlow did to her the last time he had her in his grasp?" Wanda and Clint seemed to join in on Okoye's guilt and shame as they avoided Steve's gaze.
"I'm so sorry, Cap." Clint apologized, knowing how much he had fucked up. How could he have let Emma go? How could any one of them have done this? They were supposed to protect her yet they let her get away from them just like that. Steve just sighed heavily.
"Let's just see what we can do to locate the children." Steve finally said as he went back into captain mode, trying not to let the fact that Emma was missing and in danger throw him into too much of a panicked state. He couldn't afford to be emotionally compromised right now. Emma couldn't afford that either.
They ended up in the conference room a short while later and this time they had the whole team there. Bucky, Fury, Natasha, and Sam joined the rest of them as they strove to solve the mystery of a missing Emma, Peter, and Shuri. It was clear the whole entire team was on edge as they frantically tried to figure out where the kids were. Tony had just gotten the AI system up and running again.
"McConaughey, who hacked you and the security system? Was it Hydra?" Tony asked the AI system the moment the system was working again.
"No, sir. It was actually Princess Shuri who compromised me and the security system. She's very skilled." McConaughey told Tony and the others who all looked perplexed by this information.
"Why would she do that?" T'Challa questioned, confused by the fact that his sister had hacked into Tony's AI and security system. He didn't know why Shuri would do such a thing.
"I believe that she, Mr. Parker, and Miss Rogers wanted the security systems to be down so no one within the compound would be aware of their disappearance." McConaughey told them and both Steve and Bucky seemed even more confused by this information.
"Wait...are you saying that Emma and the others left willingly." Steve questioned, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"I'm afraid so, Mr. Rogers. They were in a hurry to leave." He elaborated and Natasha took over from there.
"Why would they leave the compound? What would drive them to leave?" Natasha questioned and Sam nodded.
"Yeah, it's not exactly a good time to go cruising around with Hydra out there waiting to snatch Emma up." Sam said sarcastically.
"If it helps I could bring up the files and information Miss Rogers, Mr. Parker, and Princess Shuri were looking at before they left." McConaughey suggested and Tony rolled his eyes.
"Please do. That would be a great help, McConaughey." Tony said sarcastically as the AI system began to bring up all the information Emma and the others had been looking at earlier. The Avengers all looked immensely confused as they looked up at the holographic screen in front of them. All they could see was the interrogation footage from a couple days ago as well as old Hydra files.
"This makes zero sense." Maria remarked as she skimmed the random and scattered info on the screen. It was like a massive puzzle to their eyes. Apparently Emma, Peter, and Shuri were the only ones who figured out the answers because the Avengers couldn't piece it together right in that moment. Maybe with a little time but the answer definitely wasn't instant.
"What about video feed from this room before they left?" Okoye questioned, trying to be helpful in an otherwise tense situation. "Maybe that could give us a clue as to where they went."
"Princess Shuri seems to have erased my video feed from this room." McConaughey informed them and nearly everyone in the room groaned at that unfortunate information.
"How could they have left?" Bucky asked, looking immensely confused as he looked around the room. Despite his confusion, he felt very guilty and worried over his daughter's absence. He was supposed to watch her yet he let his own emotions and anger over her and her boyfriend get in the way. Now Emma was missing and it was all his fault.
"They couldn't have left by foot. We would've found them already." Bucky continued to say. Tony cleared his throat awkwardly but he still refused to look at Barnes. He instead looked at the other team members with a guilt ridden look on his face.
"Well, I kind of know the answer to that one." Tony said, more quietly than usual. Everyone turned to look at him.
"What are you talking about?" Steve asked him and Tony shrugged nonchalantly before answering.
"I may or may not have bought her a car for her sweet sixteen. I thought a car was a good idea for her." Tony told everyone and Steve just stared at him in shock before his shock quickly morphed into anger. Angry at the thought that Tony was so confident in the idea he could just up and buy Emma a car without his permission. Knowing Tony, it was probably a very expensive and lavish car too. Damn it. He was gone for one year and Tony thought he could call all the shots in Emma's life.
"You bought my granddaughter a car?" Steve asked slowly and Tony nodded.
"She had just turned sixteen and successfully gotten her driver's license so I thought it was the right thing to do." Tony told Steve formally, urging himself not to give in and feel bad for doing what he did. "I sure as hell wasn't about to get Peter a car. The kid's great but he's a shitty driver."
"What makes you think you had the right to get Emma a car?" Steve asked as he glared at Tony. It was clear to everyone in the room that the case of a missing Emma was quickly turning into a battle between Tony and Steve. It was only a matter of time before they finally let loose and had the talk that was long overdue. Tony just scoffed.
"I don't know. Her dad only made me her godfather. Maybe that's why." Tony said sarcastically. Steve just shook his head at him in disapproval and Tony hated the way he looked like his son when he did that.
"You didn't think it might've been a bad idea to get her a car? You didn't think you were just giving her a tool so she could get up to her usual shenanigans?" Steve questioned and Tony gave him an incredulous look.
"Shenanigans? Boy, you really are the ninety nine year old man they say you are, aren't you?" Tony said in his usual sarcastic tone and Steve glared at him.
"Can you stop making jokes for one second?" Steve questioned, looking quite furious at the billionaire. "I left Emma in your care because I thought you could handle the responsibility. I come back and she's got a car so she can go god knows where with her boyfriend to do god knows what."
"I honestly doubt Mini Cap left to go play tonsil tennis with the kid in the backseat of her car. We've got bigger problems right now and she knows it." Tony told him and Steve tried not to think of that as he stood firm in his argument against Tony. He was a bit pissed off too that Peter let her go like that after Steve specifically told him to watch her. It seemed like Emma had everyone wrapped around her finger these days which could prove to be very dangerous. People had to learn to say no to her...for her own protection if nothing else.
"Do you even know where Emma is half the time? Do you even care?" Steve questioned angrily and this time Tony glared right back at him.
"Oh, are you asking me if I keep her locked up in her room like a prisoner like you did? I'm sorry if I didn't track her every single movement. I'm sorry if I didn't track her menstrual cycle either." Tony ranted angrily as Steve just fixed him with the same glare as before. "I'm sorry that I decided to give her some freedom because she's sixteen and probably doesn't want to feel like she's being suffocated. I figured that she probably got enough of that from you."
"I'm trying to protect her because nearly everyone in the world is after her." Steve argued, not liking what Tony was insinuating about him. "She's in danger and right now the most important thing is keeping her safe."
"Well, if you're so concerned about her safety then why did you leave?" Tony argued back and Steve clenched his jaw.
"You know why." Steve retorted and Tony just shook his head at him.
"You didn't have to leave. If you really loved Emma then you would've stayed and signed the accords." Tony told him seriously and Steve scoffed.
"I didn't sign the accords because of her. I didn't sign the accords because I knew I would be signing away her freedom and rest of the world's freedom too for that matter." Steve responded, looking beyond pissed at this point while all the other Avengers just watched the two egos argue. It was a long time coming and most of everyone knew that there was a lot left unsaid between the two. They needed to get it all out so that they could move forward. "She just spent nine years under Hydra's control. I wasn't about to let her be under someone else's control. She doesn't deserve that."
"How do we even know that Emma's the one who left? Maybe that boy took her. Maybe he's behind this." Bucky said, speaking for the first time in this whole conversation. He usually remained quiet whenever Tony was involved because of guilt and shame but he could no longer stay quiet where Emma was concerned...and to think he was just beginning to accept the idea of her having a boyfriend and then this happens. Tony slowly turned to the former assassin, a look of cold fury in his eyes as he locked his gaze with Bucky for the first time since that fight in Siberia.
"You don't get to speak right now." Tony hissed angrily as he glared hatefully at the man Emma considered to be her father. A man Tony didn't believe was at all deserving of that title. Not like her real dad anyways. Not like Steven. "You actually don't get to speak at all and especially about the kid."
"I think I have a right to be concerned where Emma is involved." Bucky said quietly, trying to force himself to remain calm in the face of Tony. He knew the man had a right be angry and a right to want to kill him but Bucky was just concerned about Emma right now. She was the priority.
"Oh, and you're supposed to be father of the year?" Tony questioned sarcastically before sneering at the man. "Daddy Dearest who taught his little girl how to murder, lie, and steal? Yeah, great job you did."
"I know you have your issues with me being here but-" Bucky started to say but Tony interrupted him, fixing the man with a furious look.
"Issues?" Tony questioned incredulously. "Issues like you murdering my parents, you mean? Yeah, I guess you could say I have issues with you." Bucky swallowed hard, this situation quickly becoming more and more difficult for him, before responding because he was forced to face everything he had feared ever since he stepped out of Hydra and into the real world. He had been forced to think a lot about his past during these past couple years and the memories of what he had done still haunted his dreams.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what else you want me to say…I don't know what else I can say." Bucky said, trying yet failing to make amends with the billionaire even though he knew he never could. "I never wanted to hurt your parents. You have to know that. Howard was my friend. I wish I could go and take it all back but I can't."
"You're damn right about that." Tony said as he gave Bucky a revolted look, trying to ignore the haunted look in the former assassin's pale blue eyes. "The only reason you're here and not dead or at Raft is because of Emma. Peter too, actually. He was the one who convinced me to bring all of you back here so you should be thanking him instead of trying to kill him." Bucky looked taken back by this information but he didn't say anything as he fell silent. He, at least, had the decency to look ashamed of himself, Tony thought bitterly to himself.
"Ladies, you're all beautiful but let's get back to finding Emma." Natasha interjected quietly as she attempted to bring the conversation back to the task at hand. Everyone else seemed to be in agreement even though Steve and Tony were still heaving with anger while Bucky just looked guilty. It was clear this conversation was long from over but it had to be put on hold while they tried to find Emma, Peter, and Shuri.
"Nat's right." Sam said as he looked between the three men with a grim look on his face. "The kids are missing and we're sitting here arguing amongst each other. This is exactly what Hydra wants." Steve finally tore his gaze away from Tony and fixed it on his teammates. He nodded solemnly as he collected his thoughts and forced himself to calm down.
"You're right. Let's get back to work." Steve announced, trying to remain professional despite just having gotten into another huge argument with Tony. It seemed inevitable that they would fight after everything that happened between them but it still came as a surprise. Steve just suspected that they put off the conversation for so long that it was bound to explode in their faces eventually. Steve just hoped that all this arguing didn't have a negative impact on Emma.
"I think we found something!" Shuri announced from the other room. Emma and Peter been had pouring over all the contents of May's belongings for the past hour. It might've felt a tad invasive if they weren't currently in a life and death situation. Peter just assumed May would forgive him eventually when this whole thing blew over. It's not like they found anything yet anyways.
Emma and Peter exchanged a puzzled look before they quickly got up from the floor and headed for the living room, exiting May's bedroom in the process. They made their way down the hall and out into the living room where Michelle, Shuri, and Ned were currently searching through a cardboard box filled with an assortment of things. The group of teenagers had only been in the apartment for about an hour but an hour felt a little too long right now. She knew that Steve and the others were probably back at the compound by now and she also knew they probably noticed the absence of three teenagers. Emma was just glad that she left her phone at home and she was also glad that her car had stealth mode so Tony wouldn't be able to track them in time. Emma was just hoping they would find what they were looking for soon so they could go back before they got into any more trouble than they already were in.
"What is it? What did you find?" Peter asked eagerly as they approached their friends. Michelle just looked up at them, a look of surprise on her face which was odd since it was rare that she ever looked that surprised. Nothing ever seemed to faze the teenage girl, making her a bit similar to Emma in temperment. However, she looked away from the box and over to them.
"We haven't found much but I think this box belonged to your parents, Peter." Michelle told him and both Emma and Peter looked down to read the scribbling on the side of the box.
Richard and Mary.
That was the scribbling that must've been written hurriedly in messy sharpie handwriting. Peter assumed that Uncle Ben was the one who labeled the box since the handwriting was a lot messier than he knew May's writing to be. There didn't seem to be much inside the box. Some little knick knacks that probably belonged to Peter's mother, framed photographs, and his father's old briefcase. Peter's eyes immediately went to the briefcase and it was like he couldn't look away from it. Emma watched quietly as her boyfriend slowly walked over to the box and picked up the briefcase with trembling hands.
"This looks really familiar." Peter remarked as he looked the brown briefcase up and down, holding it carefully in his hands. The initials 'RP' were embroidered across the front of the briefcase so there was no doubt in Emma's mind that this briefcase belonged to Peter's dad. "I think I might remember him with this briefcase. The memory's distant and fading but I think I remember."
"Is there anything else in the box?" Emma asked Ned, Michelle, and Shuri who were watching Peter worriedly as he looked at his father's briefcase. Shuri swallowed hard before shaking her head, tearing her gaze away from Peter to look at Emma.
"Nothing that we're looking for." Shuri told her quietly and Emma nodded solemnly as she then cast a worried look in her boyfriend's direction. She didn't know how to approach him like this so she just went to stand next to him instead. Emma looked at him carefully, trying to figure out how to comfort him in this situation. She knew it was hard for him to be here looking through his parents things but she just wanted him to know she was there if he needed her.
"Are you okay?" Emma asked quietly. Peter nodded furiously as he continued to look at the briefcase, taking a glance inside it's contents as well.
"I'm fine." Peter told her as he began to pull out the few pieces of paper left inside. A couple sheets of paper were filled with lab notes that just consisted of mathematical equations and other scribbling. There was even a piece of paper that was clearly a shopping list Richard Parker had left in the bottom of his briefcase. Peter could feel tears prickling his eyes as he read his father's handwriting.
Milk.
Eggs.
Bread.
Diapers.
Peter realized that this shopping list must've been from when he was still a baby. It was so weird to think that there was a time where his parents had been alive and when they had all been a family together...where they had been happy. This shopping list, as simple and trivial as it may have seemed, was evidence of that. It was evidence of the time in Peter's life he so desperately tried to remember.
"I don't see anything in here that seems relevant to what we're looking for." Peter said as he finished looking through the contents. A suspicious look then crossed Emma's face as she looked at the briefcase.
"If your dad was smart then he would've kept whatever he was hiding in a secret compartment." Emma told him and Peter gave her a confused look. "May I take a look?" He swallowed hard before nodding and handing the briefcase over to her.
"Yes." He told her and Emma carefully took the briefcase from him, giving him a sympathetic look, before she began to look through contents for herself. Emma began to feel around the bag, trying to find anything that told her that there was a secret compartment within the bag. She was about to give up when she noticed the seam near the front of the bag. Emma narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"The seam." She announced much to the curiosity of the others as she pointed at the amateur sewing along the seam of the briefcase. "It's very shoddy sewing. It looks like someone was in a hurry." Emma looked up at Peter again, an unsure look on her face.
"Can I?" She asked, nodding to the suspicious looking seam. Peter immediately understood what she was asking and he nodded as well.
"Go ahead." He told her and Emma nodded once more, looking somewhat guilty, before tearing into the briefcase and pulling the seam apart. It didn't take much for Emma to tear it apart and with the abrupt action, something fell out of the briefcase's secret compartment much to everyone's surprise.
"What the hell?" Ned uttered as he watched what looked like a journal fall into Emma's hand from the secret compartment. Emma dropped the briefcase in surprise as she stared at the journal in her hand. Peter didn't even move to catch the briefcase as he stood in shock too. Emma's eyes rested on the sticky note attached to the leatherbound cover of the journal.
"What does it say?" Michelle asked curiously and Emma looked back up at them, still in a state of surprise. The look on her face was both bewildered and alarmed.
"For Steven and Margot Rogers' eyes only." Emma said quietly, looking very disturbed by the message on the sticky note. Peter's eyes widened as he also looked over Emma's shoulder at the note and sure enough that's the message that was scribbled across the sticky note in his father's messy handwriting.
"So Peter's parents did leave something behind for Emma's parents to find." Shuri remarked to herself.
"I'm still surprised by the fact that your parents knew each other. This is crazy." Ned said quietly, trying to get his mind around all this.
"They left behind a journal." Michelle said quietly. "Why a journal?"
"I guess there's only one way to find out." Peter said as he nodded to Emma. She took that as a sign that she should finally open the thing up and read what it said. Only...she was a little scared of what she was going to find. It must've been something big to get Peter's parents killed. Even so, she knew they needed to find out at some point and they really didn't have any more time to waste.
"Okay…" Emma mumbled as she flipped to the first page of the journal and began to read the messy handwriting of Peter's dad. Only time would tell all the secrets Peter's parents had died with. The only way to discover said secrets was by reading the journal. Emma braced herself as she read the first journal entry which actually appeared to be some kind of log.
March 11th, 2004
Agent Rogers,
I've stopped filing reports for the CIA. I no longer feel safe in doing so which is why I'm writing this away from prying eyes and keeping my own private log of events I'm currently witnessing. My wife and I were assigned to an undercover operation. I must admit I'm not used to the field but the CIA was adamant about us being assigned to this mission with our covers never having been blown.
We're currently working an illegal weapons operation but I can't help but feel like something is very wrong. The men and women we've seen in the criminal underground don't seem like the normal people we've seen involved in these dealings. Something's very off about this. I can't help but think back to the mission you and I went on when we raided Salazar's old warehouse.
-Dr. Richard Parker
March 14th, 2004
Agent Rogers,
I no longer trust the CIA and I absolutely don't trust Shield. We've only been about a week into our mission and I've seen familiar faces from Shield. They don't seem to recognize us and our cover hasn't been blown yet so I assume we're safe. Something's definitely going on here. I'm not sure what yet but there's definitely moles within the different branches of government that have ties to illegal weapon dealers. I've also seen Diego Ugalde, the actor, involved in these meetings who I remembered was a known associate of Santiago Salazar.
Something doesn't quite add up yet but I'm still figuring it out.
-Dr. Richard Parker
March 17th, 2004
Agent Rogers,
I'm afraid I have some very grave news to tell you. With Mary and I's mission, we have discovered the existence of Hydra, an organization your father was believed to have buried decades ago and even died for. We discovered this tonight as we attended one of their so-called meetings and were recruited to their cause. I'm afraid this undercover mission goes deeper than I ever believed. I don't feel comfortable relaying any of this to the CIA or even Shield. Hydra has moles everywhere and I don't know who to trust. You're the only one who I think I can trust which is why I'm leaving this journal for you in the hope of you someday finding it.
Hydra is real, Agent Rogers, and it's bigger than anyone could've ever imagined. They never died with the Red Skull. In fact, they've thrived in the absence of your father. They've been alive for decades and they're even more powerful than before. I'm afraid your father didn't know the half of it. This is really bad. You don't even know.
-Dr. Richard Parker
March 25th, 2004
Agent Rogers,
I'm writing this to let you know that you're in immediate danger. While Mary and I were invited to a dinner at Diego Ugalde's house, Mary was able infiltrate Ugalde's private office where a lot of Hydra meetings take place. It appears that you, as well as your daughter, are of great interest to Hydra because of your lineage. Mary's taken pictures of several surveillance images taken of you and your family. Young Emma in particular. We're still trying to put the puzzle pieces together but I feel like you should be aware of the interest Hydra has taken in you and your family.
-Dr. Richard Parker
March 28th, 2004
Agent Rogers,
I'm writing again to tell you that Mary and I have made a shocking discovery. During another Hydra meeting, we've managed to copy various Hydra files onto a flashdrive. After reviewing the contents of the files, I have to admit that it's not you Hydra has taken interest in. It's your daughter. Hydra has dangerous and disturbing plans for her...like nothing you could ever comprehend. I'm desperately hoping you'll find this journal before it's too late because Emma is in grave danger. I fear for her wellbeing as well as you and your wife's lives.
Hydra is making plans to assassinate both you and your wife when the time comes before taking Emma. Emma's their target. They wish to integrate her into something called the Viper Assassin Program which is supposed to be the successor to something called the Winter Soldier Program. I haven't looked into either program too much, Agent Rogers, but I have reason to believe Hydra was also involved in the death of Howard and Maria Stark. Stark was developing some kind of super soldier serum in an attempt to replicate your father's serum. Hydra plans to use the last of this serum on your daughter.
The plans they have for her are insane, Steven. You need to get her away fast. I wish I could send this to you right now but I fear Hydra would intervene and find this journal. It's too dangerous right now. Just read the files on the flashdrive and I'm sure it'll make more sense to you than it ever did to me. There's so much that I really fear for your daughter's safety.
-Dr. Richard Parker.
April 12th, 2004
Agent Rogers,
I think this will be my last entry, Steven. I believe Mary and I have been found out. Nothing's happened yet but I think they're on to us. I know I can't go to the CIA because I believe they have moles there yet I don't feel comfortable going to Director Fury. I'm not completely sure how deep this Hydra thing goes but I know there's not a lot of people I can trust right now. I'd go to you but I have no idea where to find you.
Mary and I have decided that the only option is to turn this information over to Alexander Pierce. A trusted and respected politician in his field as well as Margot's father. I'm not sure if we can trust him but if the answer's no then I guess you'll be reading this journal now. I hope you can get you and your family to safety. Everyone's in danger and this thing is a lot bigger than the both of this. I don't know if we'll ever come out of this the same way.
Good Luck,
Dr. Richard Parker
Emma stopped reading after the sixth and final entry. There wasn't a lot of entries and Emma could tell this journal was more of a log during Richard Parker's time working undercover. He knew that it would be too dangerous to try and get word to Emma's father so he used the journal instead. Hoping that one day Emma's parents would somehow come across it and the flashdrive. Emma's eyes were filled with tears as she looked up from the journal and at the others. All of them seemed shocked and horrified to hear Richard Parker's account of some of the last days of his life. Emma glanced over at Peter and noticed how a single tear streamed down his face. The sight broke her heart.
"Alexander Pierce? Who's that?" Ned questioned, the first one to speak and the first one to break the brief pause of silence.
"Emma's grandfather." Michelle said softly and Ned's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Emma swallowed hard before elaborating.
"My other grandfather and Hydra's top leader and operative until Fury killed him during the take down of Hydra three years ago." Emma informed him and she didn't feel comfortable looking at Peter in that moment. She didn't feel comfortable because she now knew that her grandfather, as much as she hated him, had a hand in the death of Peter's parents.
"He also had his own daughter and son-in-law killed before kidnapping Emma and torturing her in that base for nine years." Peter said, breaking his own silence as he looked over at Emma with eyes filled with tears. Despite having learned everything about his parents' last days on earth, he chose to remain strong in this circumstance and also to make sure that Emma knew that he didn't blame her for her grandfather's evilness. Emma allowed herself to feel a little relieved as he looked at her. "He was a monster."
"So Peter's parents were killed for everything they knew." Shuri remarked as she looked over at Emma and Peter. "They found out about Hydra and they found out that Hydra wanted Emma so they killed them."
"They made a mistake in trusting Alexander Pierce and it cost them their life." Peter determined and Emma nodded.
"They were trying to do good by helping my parents and me." Emma said quietly, looking quite sad by the cause of Peter's parents' death. "Which is why we need to look at this flashdrive right now and see what they were trying to tell my parents all this time."
"Emma's right." Peter said softly as he looked back at his girlfriend. "We can't let my parents or her parents die in vain. They all died at the hands of Hydra and we need to see this thing through...for their sake if not just for our own."
"And we need to avenge them too, right?" Ned interjected despite the tense situation. Everyone turned to stare at him, looks of disbelief on everyone's faces. He blushed from all the attention.
"You know...because you guys are almost Avengers now and everything." Ned explained and Michelle just rolled her eyes at the dark haired boy who she hated admitting was her friend.
"Do everyone a favor and shut up. Now's not the time for your lame Avenger puns that no one finds funny." Michelle told him and Ned glared at her.
"Well, excuse me for trying to diffuse the tension in the room." He retorted and Emma sighed heavily. Sometimes she couldn't believe she was actually friends with that dork. He was worse than Peter sometimes.
"Just do something useful and get Peter's laptop. We need to plug in this flashdrive." Emma ordered and Ned knew from the impatient look on the blonde's face that she wasn't messing around. He knew better than to argue with the blonde so he got up from the couch and hurried over to Peter's bedroom to retrieve said laptop. Emma took the time to look back at Peter who looked a little worse for wear.
"Are you alright?" She asked him softly, concern in her blue eyes. Peter swallowed hard before shrugging. Michelle and Shuri were otherwise occupied as they discussed some theories they had about what they just heard.
"I knew that Hydra had them killed. I was prepared to hear as much." Peter told her honestly. Emma's gaze softened as she looked at him.
"It was still difficult to hear. You can't deny that." Emma told him and Peter nodded.
"I know but I knew what I was going to hear. It's in the past and all we can do now is to not let them die in vain. Your parents too." Peter said and Emma nodded, knowing he was right in a lot of ways. Both of their parents were dead because of Hydra. They couldn't change that but they could still make Hydra pay and stop Hydra from inflicting the same damage on someone else's family.
"We'll get them." Emma said, sounding very sure of herself.
"I know." Peter replied, looking very sure of himself as well. It was true. They were going to get Hydra before they inflicted any more damage on humanity. Hydra was a parasite that needed to be terminated for good. There was no other way around it. "What about the Viper Assassin Program?" Peter said, changing the subject as he remembered something Emma had read from the journal earlier.
"I didn't know there was a Viper Assassin Program. Hydra always told me I was part of the Winter Soldier Program." Emma told him honestly, looking just as confused by this as he was.
"A Viper Assassin Program suggests that they had plans for more than one Viper Assassin." Peter told her and Emma nodded.
"I know how it sounds." Emma admitted as she tried to figure out more of Hydra's secrets but she was no closer in putting all the pieces together.
"This thing just keeps getting bigger and bigger." Peter observed and Emma nodded in agreement.
"You don't have to tell me." Emma murmured but before Peter could respond, Ned rushed back into the room with Peter's laptop in hand. He immediately dropped the laptop on the coffee table. Emma and Peter didn't waste any time getting over there as Emma took the journal with her. She perched herself on the edge of the couch with Peter taking a seat next to her before she opened the journal and flipped to the back of it where she had seen the flashdrive before. It had been duct taped to the back and Emma easily ripped off the tape as everyone eagerly circled around the laptop.
"I wonder what's on the flashdrive." Ned said in wonder and Michelle scoffed.
"I don't know. Why don't we wait and find out." Michelle said sarcastically and Ned huffed.
"Sorry. I'm just curious." Emma rolled her eyes at the bickering pair before she plugged the flashdrive into the laptop and anxiously waited for it to pop up on the screen. Her eyes widened in anticipation as she finally spotted the files on the flashdrive. Emma didn't wait to start combing through all the files and she was astonished by how many there were just waiting to be read. There was a whole list of them much to everyone's surprise.
Howard Stark's Super Soldier Serum.
The Viper Assassin Program.
List of Known Hydra Operatives.
The Winter Soldier Program.
Location of Known Hydra Bases.
Diego Ugalde's Weapon Dealings.
Rogers Family.
The Winter Viper Project.
"Oh my god!" Peter remarked as he stared at the screen in shock. Everyone else seemed to be in a state of shock as well. "Look at all these files. These files must be stuff that was deeply embedded in Hydra for years. This is all intel we've never even seen before. I don't think Tony or Mr. Rogers know about any of this."
"We need to get this back to the compound. The others need to see this." Shuri said as she immediately got up from the couch to go grab her things. Peter, Michelle, and Ned all followed her as they began to chat excitedly amongst each other over having found something that would help the Avengers in the long run. Emma didn't move to join them as she remained sitting on the couch, staring at the computer screen.
Something else had her attention.
There was a lot of interesting stuff on the flashdrive. Between the Viper Assassin Program and Howard Stark's Super Soldier Serum file, Emma knew everyone was going to be more than occupied. However, it wasn't those two files that had Emma's attention. It was something else entirely. In fact, it was the last file on the flashdrive that made Emma more curious than anything about what she was seeing. She couldn't stop herself as she clicked on the file and waited for it to pop up on her screen. And when she finally started reading the contents of the file, her eyes widened in both shock and horror.
While her boyfriend and friends were busy celebrating in the success of the mission, Emma was busy reading the file that held her absolute interest. She wanted to look away but she couldn't. Deep down Emma knew this was just part of Hydra's sadistic and twisted plans that never came to be but she still couldn't help but feel horrified by what she was reading. Tears started to pool in Emma's eyes as she read the words some Hydra sick fuck typed up into the file.
"Emma, are you ready to go?" Peter asked her as he looked back at her. "We should really get going. The others are probably looking everywhere for us by now." Emma forced the tears away before she nodded furiously, a fake smile on her face. Peter seemed to be too distracted by their successful mission that he didn't even notice.
"Yeah. I'm ready." Emma replied as she tried to pretend like everything was alright but it really wasn't at this point. This whole circumstance with Hydra was bringing up things that Emma really wished she had never known. She didn't want to know.
"Let's go then." Peter told her and she nodded once more as she quickly exited out of the file. Emma swallowed hard as she did something she probably wasn't supposed to do. Something that was probably protecting Hydra but Emma didn't care. She hadn't meant to protect Hydra. In her mind she was only protecting her father. Without another thought, she dragged the mouse over and deleted the Winter Viper Project file.
Some things were better left unknown.
To be continued...