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.

89. Chapter Eighty One

Author's Note: This chapter took about a week and a half longer than I wanted but finals has really been stressing me out lately. I'm going to be honest with you guys. I'm probably only going to be able to update once a month for a while. I'm going to be taking a lot of college classes for the next couple years. Even this summer. That doesn't leave a lot of time on my hands but this is my career path so I have to focus on it but any free time I have will definitely be given to this story. I'm so close to finishing it and I really can't wait until the next chapter because I'm so excited to write it. Thank you guys for being so incredibly patient with me.

Sorry to my guest reviewers because I told you that I would answer your guest reviews from chapter 79 in an updated version of last chapter but I only realized that I never replaced the old version of Chapter 80 with the new version. Anyways, I went ahead and did that so if you want to see my answers to any of your reviews then check it out. Once again, so sorry about that.

I know I told you guys that I'm going to Ace Comic Con in Seattle which is a week from Saturday. You have no idea how excited I am about that and I already plan to have Jeremy Renner sign my Civil War Hawkeye and Spider-Man Funko Pop set(I'm such a nerd, I know). I'm really nervous about everything since I've never been to an Ace Comic Con before but I've also never been to a Comic Con before. I just wanted to know if there's anyone that's been to an Ace Comic Con and maybe has some advice for me or could tell me what to expect. I have no idea what to do in regards to the Jeremy Renner autograph I purchased. Like, where I go and what time do I go for that? I'm hoping they'll send me more information about that but who knows. Also, it says that the Comic Con starts at 10 am but should I get there even earlier? When I saw Haim(at the same place the Comic Con is being held in), I got there really early because it was general admission so first come first serve but is Ace Comic Con similar?

I just watched season 3 of Jessica Jones by the way and I cried during the finale which I'm sure you'll know why if you've seen it but I won't spoil anything. I never liked season 2 of Jessica Jones but season 3 was surprisingly really good. I'm not sure if it could be as good as season 1 because season 1 had David Tennant and he played one hell of a villain.

Another tv show everyone should watch is A Discovery of Witches starring Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer. Probably one of my favorites shows right now even though I still haven't seen the season finale. Please don't spoil it for me. I plan to eventually get around to seeing it.

Thanks for all the follows, favorites, and reviews. I'm always floored by how many people read this story and love it. It really means a lot and especially with seeing fanart people send to me. You're all so incredibly talented and kind. Thanks and please let me know what you think of the chapter.

---

"She looks really happy," Natasha Romanoff commented as she approached Steve Rogers who was standing in front of the windows, looking out into the expanse of green grass outside. They watched two teenagers chasing each other outside on a warm sunny day. Steve smiled softly as he watched Emma laugh while her boyfriend chased her around. The sun shone through her blonde hair and her smile was bright and real for once. It wasn't the sarcastic smile Steve had gotten used to over the years.

It was a kind but happy smile.

"She really does," Steve said without taking his eyes off his granddaughter. "After being away for so long, I only realize now that I've never seen her this happy before."

"Emma with a boyfriend. I guess none of us saw that one coming," Natasha remarked as she followed Steve's gaze. In all honesty, she did kind of see it coming but she thought she would leave that part out to make Steve feel better about himself. "Still…he's a really cute kid. He seems to really have it bad for Emma though. He put together a romantic picnic. I think Tony's just upset that he's making him look bad in front of Pepper."

"He's even better than what I hoped for. I'm glad she found him," Steve said, seeming quite happy. "I think he'll be a really good influence on her."

"So it looks like all your dreams are coming true," Natasha said as she glanced at Steve and away from the window. "Isn't this what you always yapped to us about? Emma having friends, Emma wanting to go to college…Emma falling in love."

"It makes me feel a little bit better about leaving. More than last time," Steve told her honestly as he also tore his gaze away from Emma.

"Now it's your turn," Natasha said, giving him a smirk. "I still haven't given up on getting you a date, Rogers. How about you and Susan? Is that still going on?"

"I don't think so, Nat," Steve said with a sad smile on his face. "With the life I lead now, I can't expect her to wait around for me. It's not fair and I just…"

"You just what?" Natasha questioned and Steve shrugged.

"I think Peggy was it for me. I missed my chance and now I just have to accept that," Steve said, seeming like he had given this a lot of thought. "But she gave me a son who, in turn, gave me Emma so I'm grateful."

"I don't believe that you're destined for loneliness. You're a great guy, Steve. Some girl would be lucky to have you," Natasha told him but Steve didn't look like he was changing his mind.

"I never understood your desire for me to date," Steve told Natasha. "I still have flashbacks about all those blind dates you set me up on before all the stuff with Hydra started."

"You'll meet the right girl."

"I'm just glad Emma's happy," Steve said, returning his gaze to the two teenagers outside. "I always worried about her when I was away but I think now I won't have to worry as much. She's going to be just fine."

"A little more than fine if you ask me," Natasha said teasingly as she noticed the way Emma looked at the teenage boy. It was very clear, to anyone who knew Emma, that the teenage girl was head over heels in love with Peter Parker.

"Don't get me started. I just had to give Emma a talk about sex," Steve said as he backed away from the window and started heading out of the room. Natasha raised an eyebrow as she quickly followed him. "Please don't tell Bucky about that either. He might actually murder the poor kid this time."

"I thought you already gave her a sex talk after the Thor incident," Natasha said, following Steve down the hall of the compound. The super soldier sighed tiredly.

"It was more of a talk about safe sex," Steve reluctantly elaborated and Natasha's green eyes gleamed with interest as she grinned at her friend.

"Emma's going to deflower her boyfriend and you're actually okay with it?" Natasha inquired, looking highly amused. "I'm impressed, Steve. Who would've thought you could be the cool parent?"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I really don't even want to even think about it," Steve mumbled as he tried to ignore the amused look on his friend's face. He knew Natasha was going to continue to tease him about this. She would probably even make him regret telling her in the first place.

Even so, Steve was really just happy that Emma was happy.

That's all that mattered.

---

Emma couldn't remember doing something so childish as playing tag. She supposed she must've done it in those early years before Hydra but she couldn't remember. When Peter suggested playing tag, she called him an idiot. However, all it took for her to cave into him was a quick look into those warm brown eyes and Emma suddenly found herself running away from him.

Stupid Parker and his pretty brown eyes.

Although Emma would be lying if she said she wasn't having fun. It had been a while since she felt so carefree. This might've actually been the first time she ever felt carefree. So she laughed as Peter chased her across the large grassy area outside the compound. Emma knew it was stupid to even attempt to run from him since he was faster than her but it was a game so she wasn't supposed to use logic.

She was just supposed to have fun.

"I got you!" Peter shouted as he grabbed Emma from behind and tackled her to the ground. Emma tried to push him off but his grip was too strong for her so she fell to the ground with Peter on top of her.

"Get off me, nerd!" Emma said as she tried to shove him off and Peter just smirked at her, refusing to get off his girlfriend who was obviously hiding how much fun she was having.

"You didn't think I was a nerd last night," Peter said suggestively and Emma's eyes widened at his boldness. It was never like Peter to so blatantly flirt with her like this. However, recently Peter seemed to be getting cockier and cockier. She wondered if it had to do with their recent bedroom activities. Emma didn't know but she kind of liked Peter's newfound confidence.

"You'll always be a nerd to me," Emma told him, trying to hide her surprise at his statement. Peter's brown eyes gleamed with mischief as he rested his hand on her thigh.

"Even when I do this?" Peter asked her as he moved his hand up her thigh just under the skirt of her floral printed summer dress. Emma's breathing hitched but she told herself not to give cocky Peter the satisfaction of blushing. Peter started kissing along the length of her neck and her eyes fluttered shut. Okay, it might've been too late to stop herself from blushing but maybe she could blame it on the sun. Peter only paused to whisper in her ear. "You didn't seem to care about me being a nerd when we were in your room last night. In fact, you could barely keep quiet."

He pulled away to look at the reaction on her face and he was satisfied to see that Emma was blushing. The blonde then narrowed her eyes at him and attempted to look angry.

"You're a little pervert now, Parker," Emma said accusingly but Peter still seemed smug. Smug was actually a really good look for him and Emma hadn't realized he could pull off being smug until right then. "I've finally corrupted you. Who knew all it took to corrupt you was a blowjob and a couple awkward handjobs."

Peter then gave her a confused look.

"What? They weren't awkward," Peter said and Emma gave him a doubtful look.

"I had no idea what I was doing. My wrist cramped up big time," Emma told him and his cockiness seemed to disappear from his face as he blushed.

"Well, I liked it," Peter tried to tell her and Emma rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I could tell," Emma told him before smirking at him. It was her turn to flirt with him now. "I guess we'll still need a lot more practice, huh?"

"I'm already looking forward to it," Peter said quickly before a shy but hopeful look came across Peter's face. "Maybe tonight then?"

"Are you horny all the time?" Emma asked sarcastically before giving her boyfriend a serious look. "I didn't mean tonight. We can't. Everyone's leaving. This might be the last time I see Steve and my father for a while."

Peter's face fell as he moved off of Emma and moved to her side.

He felt guilty that he had totally forgotten about the fact that Steve and Emma's father were leaving that night. It had been about a week since the incident with Rumlow and now that all the surviving Hydra agents had been imprisoned, the UN had returned their attention to the fugitive Avengers. It was fine when the fugitive Avengers were doing all their dirty work for them but now that the job was finished, they wanted the Avengers to sign the accords or go to Raft. Ross was scheduled to come back in the morning for them so T'Challa was taking everyone back to Wakanda that evening.

Tonight was a goodbye of sorts which was very fitting since it was also Steve's birthday today. Peter had to admit that it was ironic that Steve's birthday was on the fourth of July. He really was born to be Captain America, after all.

Peter suddenly felt bad for being so selfish in forgetting about Steve and her father. He knew Emma had been sad the past couple days when Steve announced to the team that they would be leaving for Wakanda. This was part of the reason Peter took her outside for a picnic to take her mind off things for a couple hours.

"I'm sorry, Emma. I wasn't thinking," Peter apologized to her and Emma just gave him a small smile.

"It's okay," Emma told him but Peter knew she was still sad about everyone leaving. "I'm just going to miss Steve and Papa."

"I know. I'm sorry you have to say goodbye to them," Peter said, placing her hand in his. "I wish there was something I could do."

"I knew deep down that they'd have to leave eventually but I guess I was just in denial," Emma said as she turned to look at Peter. "I wish they didn't have to leave but I'm not delusional. I know this is the way it has to be."

"It won't always be like this," Peter told her comfortingly. "Someday it'll be different."

"I know," Emma said in response before she decided that she wanted to talk about something else. She didn't want to keep thinking about Steve and her father leaving because she knew it would only bring her down. "Let's talk about something else."

"If you're sure," Peter said and Emma nodded so Peter tried to think of something else to talk about. It was then that he decided to bring up something he had been hesitant to mention to Emma. He nervously fiddled with a blade of grass in his hand before turning to her. "I think I'm going to ask Mr. Stark for a job."

Emma immediately gave her boyfriend a confused look at his odd statement.

"What?" She questioned, already forgetting about all her troubles regarding Steve and her father. Peter nodded.

"I'm sixteen already and I think it's time for me to get a job," Peter told her and Emma shook her head.

"But you already have a job. You're Spider-Man," Emma pointed out and Peter frowned.

"That's different. I want a job where I can make money and I'm not Spider-Man because I want to make money. I'm Spider-Man because I want to help people," Peter told her, being as noble as ever. Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Is that what this is about? You want money?" Emma questioned, trying to understand the logic behind Peter's words. "Tony gives you money already. He gave you a credit card. I don't get why you need a job."

"Because I want to buy you things with my money. Not his," Peter told her seriously and Emma soon realized that this was a masculine pride thing. "I don't want to mooch off Tony my entire life."

"You're not mooching off him," Emma said as she attempted to talk some sense into her boyfriend. "Tony loves you like a son, Peter. I know you love him like a father so I don't think it bothers him giving you things."

"You don't understand. It's different for you," Peter explained to her. "Your grandmother left you a lot of money when she died…including your parents' money. You don't have to worry about the future and there's nothing wrong about that. You've been through so much that you shouldn't have to worry."

Peter only paused for a brief second, avoiding her gaze out of embarrassment. Emma just looked at him, seeking to understand what he was trying to tell her.

"I didn't grow up with a lot of money, Emma. My parents didn't have a lot of money so when they died, they didn't leave much," Peter continued to tell her as Emma listened silently. "Uncle Ben and Aunt May weren't wealthy either. The only reason I can attend Midtown is because of my scholarship. Sometimes it's difficult for May to pay all the bills without Ben around anymore. She doesn't say anything to me but I know-"

"Peter, Tony would help if-" Emma started to say but Peter quickly interrupted her.

"I don't want him to," Peter told her, blushing. "He's already done more than enough for me."

"You shouldn't have to worry about the future either," Emma told him softly as she ran her fingers through his brown hair. "Everything I have is also yours."

"I don't want you to think that I'm taking advantage of you," Peter told her, trying to deny what Emma was telling him.

"You're not taking advantage of me," Emma told him sincerely, her gaze softening as she looked at him. "We're together in this. I know I don't always say this but you're it for me, Parker. I refuse to marry you but I still want to spend the rest of my life with you. So what's mine is also yours."

"I'm still going to change your mind about marriage," Peter said stubbornly although he was always delighted to hear Emma telling him that he was the only one for her. He sometimes couldn't believe how lucky he was that she chose him. "I'm also still going to get a job. I want to take you out on a date with the money I earned. Not money that Tony just throws at us. I want to try and save up for college someday too. Maybe even an apartment for us after high school."

"You don't want to actually work for Tony," Emma told her boyfriend, trying to stop him from getting a job. Mostly because she thought it might mean that they would stop spending so much time together. Emma didn't think it was fair that Tony would get to spend more time with Peter when that time with Peter was rightfully hers. She knew it was stupid getting jealous over Tony but now that Steve and her father were going away, Emma was going to be alone again and she was scared. "He'll make you do stupid things for him like make him sandwiches, get him coffee, and be his personal slave."

"I already do those things for you," Peter pointed out and Emma gave him an unimpressed look.

"Fine then. We won't spend any time together anymore," Emma finally said, voicing her fear. Peter suddenly realized what this was about. He wrapped an arm around her and held her closer to his chest, placing a gentle kiss against her forehead.

"Yes, we will," Peter told her honestly. "I was thinking I would only work at the compound for Tony during the weekend with the nights off. We'll still have plenty of time together."

Emma knew that this was something Peter really wanted. He wanted a job because he was a person full of pride and refused to use Tony to get him places. Peter wanted to make it on his own because he was a good person. It made Emma feel slightly guilty for charging a bunch of random shit to Tony's credit card all the time…but not guilty enough to stop doing it. Emma supposed he wouldn't be Peter if he wasn't the honest guy with good intentions that he was.

"I should've known you would want nights off," Emma said jokingly. "You just can't get enough of me, Parker."

Peter smiled as he pressed another kiss against her forehead, heavily intoxicated on all the feelings he had for her. Emma always drove Peter crazy to a certain extent but he was completely in love with her. It was tough to imagine that a year ago they didn't even know each other. He realized how boring and dull his life had been back then because she wasn't in it yet. His life has consisted of building Lego Star Wars sets with Ned, crushing on Liz Allan, homework, and Spider-Man.

When Emma walked into his life everything suddenly held more meaning. Even when they were only friends. Peter woke up everyday strangely excited to go to school because it meant that he would get to see her.

He still remembered the first moment he saw her.

Not the time at the airport in Germany but the first time he really saw her. The first time in the cafeteria as he and Ned approached the lunch table they shared with Michelle where a very beautiful but mysterious blonde girl sat with the most gorgeous blue eyes Peter had ever seen. He remembered being caught breathless at the sight of her but also intrigued by who she was.

Peter kind of wanted to knock some sense into his past self because he couldn't believe he was that stuck on Liz Allan back then. Liz who he desperately tried to get to notice him for two and a half years. Liz who ignored him until the moment where his acne started clearing up, his dorky glasses disappeared, and he started looking more his age rather than a twelve-year-old boy.

Don't get him wrong.

Liz was an incredibly kind, intelligent, and beautiful girl. She was probably the girl every guy dreamed of dating but after being with Emma for several months, he realized there was no way Liz could ever compare to her.

Emma was everything Liz wasn't.

She was very sarcastic, rude, scary, a little bit crazy, selfish at times, and she kept a cold and callous façade. However, there was another side to Emma Rogers that she didn't let many people see but for some reason she let Peter see that side of her. She was the bravest person Peter had ever met, kind when no one was looking, protective of those she loved, and even though she pretended to care about nothing and no one, there wasn't a person in the world that was more caring than Emma.

Peter was sure he could've been happy with Liz but it would've been nothing like his happiness with Emma. Everyday was like a new adventure with her and even though they argued a lot, Peter wouldn't have it any other way.

Nothing was ever boring or dull with Emma.

She made him the happiest he had been since before his uncle died. Peter wondered if she ever realized how much she had changed his life for the better. Peter didn't used to think it was possible for anyone to be this happy but falling in love changed your perspective on a lot of things.

Peter was still positive that he was going to marry her.

He had known that for a while. Probably soon after falling in love with her but there had been little moments over the course of their friendship before that, where Peter started wondering if maybe Emma could be the girl for him. His mind drifted back to the first couple weeks he had known her when she was the mysterious new girl at school.

The day in the decathlon meeting when Flash Thompson came up to him and started calling him "Penis Parker" like he always did. Emma turned and coolly tore Flash apart, telling the short boy that he must have a Napoleon complex. It wasn't Liz that came to his defense but it was Emma who tore Flash apart in a way that the kind and respectful Liz Allan never would.

That was the day that the wheels in Peter's head started turning and for a second he thought, 'I want to marry this girl someday'. Of course, Liz Allan walked by and the thought left Peter's mind as he daydreamed about the former team captain but as he spent more and more time with Emma, he started daydreaming about the blonde instead.

Emma seemingly wormed her way into Peter's heart and she didn't even have to try.

"I probably won't ever get enough of you," Peter told her and he wasn't just talking about sex. He was talking about Emma in general. "But nights off would be nice. We could do a lot in one night. We already tested that theory a couple of times."

"Last night was a close call," Emma remarked, reminding him of the night before. "Remember when my father knocked on my door?"

"That was scariest thing ever," Peter said, still looking haunted. "I thought I was going to die."

"I can't believe you actually hid under the bed like some kind of dog," Emma said as she laughed at her boyfriend. She was still amused that he was terrified of her father.

"What was I supposed to do? I was only wearing boxers and nothing else. He would've taken one look at me and murdered me."

"He didn't even come into my room," Emma said, still in amazement of how much of a dork Peter was. "He was just wishing me goodnight."

"I don't think you understand how clear that man made it that he would murder me if I ever had sex with you," Peter pointed out to her. Emma raised an eyebrow.

"You don't seem to care much about his threat. You didn't mind touching me last night," Emma told him and Peter blushed.

"Emma, there's very few things in this world I would gladly die over," Peter explained to her in a serious voice. "If I was given a choice of never having sex with you and living forever versus having sex with you once and your dad murdering me then I would die a very happy man."

Emma laughed at her boyfriend. Mostly because he looked entirely serious when he said it and Emma knew he meant every word of it. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"You're such a dork but I love you for it," Emma told him and Peter smiled at her before growing serious once more when he remembered what they were talking about before.

"So you're okay with me getting a job?" Peter asked hesitantly and Emma sighed heavily.

"Peter, you don't need my permission. If you want to do this then do it," Emma told him even though she didn't get why he had to get a job. "I just don't want you getting a job because you think you have to buy me things and take me places. I'm happy just spending time with you here like this."

"It's about more than that. Yes, I want to take you out on dates with my own money but I also don't feel right taking money from Tony for not doing anything," Peter told her sincerely. "This way, at least, I'll feel like I earned it."

"I'll never understand the stuff your penis tells you to do but I'll try and be supportive," Emma finally told him and Peter rolled his eyes before shaking his head. She didn't understand what he was saying but Peter didn't expect her to.

"Thanks a lot," Peter told her before he moved to get up from the ground. He pushed his weight to his arms, his hands accidently brushing against Emma's side. Peter couldn't help but notice the way she squirmed when he did that. Peter gave her a curious look.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked and Emma just shrugged.

"Nothing," She told him nonchalantly but he didn't buy the calm look on her face. He placed his hands on either side of her hips as he hovered over her. A thought entered Peter's mind as he smirked at her with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Wait a second…are you ticklish?" Peter asked her and Emma scoffed a little too quickly.

"Don't be stupid. Of course I'm not," Emma tried to tell him convincingly and Peter's smirk widened.

"You're totally ticklish. How have I not known this until now?" Peter asked and Emma glared at him.

"I already told you that I'm not-" Emma was soon interrupted as Peter started tickling her. A giggle escaped Emma as she squirmed underneath her idiotic boyfriend. "Parker, what the hell are you doing?! Get off me!"

"I'm not going to stop until you admit that you're ticklish," Peter told her and Emma tried not to laugh at the sensation but she didn't have any control over herself at this point. This was probably childish and stupid but Emma missed out on a lot of childish and stupid things in her life.

"No, I'm not!" She said through a bunch of giggles.

"You're ticklish!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Ugh! Fine…I am. Now stop," Emma demanded as she caved in.

"I don't think I want to," Peter said smugly much to Emma's annoyance as he then proceeded to tickle her. Emma, of course, pretended to be angry with him when all she could really do was giggle as he attacked her with tickles.

"Parker!"

---

Steve's birthday party was both a happy yet sad celebration.

Happy because it was the first time in a while that the Avengers were together like this but sad because everyone knew it wasn't going to last the night. Even though Steve had seemingly made amends with Tony, the billionaire seemed annoyed that after everything Steve still refused to sign the accords. Of course, he didn't say anything because he didn't want to upset Emma but the tension was there again. Not at the level it used to be but it was clear that Tony was frustrated with how stubborn Steve Rogers was.

What was new?

The party had gone smoothly so far. Emma had kindly gifted her grandfather a painting she had done for him a long time ago during their time apart. It was a painting of the sea and a woman standing over a cliff, her back to whoever was looking. The painting depicted a stormy ocean and a cloudy sky but it wasn't difficult to determine who the woman was in the painting with her brown locks that Steve knew all too well. The painting made him sad at the same time it made him happy. It was a difficult emotion to describe but he never ceased being blown away by Emma's artistic talent.

A talent which he always thought transcended his own talent.

"Ninety nine years, Cap," Sam said teasingly as he smirked at his friend. They were all seated around the recreational area of the compound. Some were chatting amongst each other while others had a slice of the birthday cake Pepper ordered last minute. "Next year it'll be a hundred."

"Don't remind me," Steve told him before glancing at Bucky who was sitting quietly by Emma, the both of them eating their slices of cake. "Bucky already turned a hundred this year."

"I feel older," Bucky complained and Emma smiled fondly at her father.

"Well, I think you look incredibly good for your age, Papa," Emma told him honestly and Tony made a face from across the room. Mostly because Emma was always telling Tony how old he looked and how he could stand to lose a few pounds. He knew she was only teasing him but it made him bitter about how nice and loving she was to Barnes. She was nice and loving to Peter and Steve as well but she still teased the hell out of them.

However, Barnes was another story.

In the entire time Tony observed those two together, Emma never even attempted to make fun of Barnes once. He was perhaps the only person she had never made fun of. Sure, there were a couple of teasing comments but nothing like her calling her boyfriend a dork all the time or mocking Steve's goody two shoes nature. Emma mostly just clung to her former partner's side and seemed quite content to remain there.

It was clear out of all the people in the room, Bucky Barnes was who Emma adored the most. Tony wasn't even sure if Steve or Peter could reach the pedestal that Emma had placed Barnes on.

"I'm glad you think so," Bucky said sarcastically, ruffling her hair playfully as Emma laughed at him.

That was another thing that annoyed him.

Whenever Tony did that to her, she glared at him and looked like she wanted to murder him. Tony knew that she and Barnes were exceptionally close which explained everything but it bothered him that she treasured Barnes that much. It was like Barnes was her favorite person in the world and Tony hated that it was him of all people

It should've been Steven.

"We'll go all out for your 100th," Natasha teased Steve who just rolled his eyes at her.

The birthday party had emptied out by the time night time approached them.

Clint left the compound early to go home to his family. He was going to turn himself in the next day and receive the same plea deal Scott got. Emma bid him goodbye, looking at Clint in a different way than she used to because now she realized that they shared a weird connection through her mother. The archer promised to send her some things of her mother's he still had stored away somewhere and Emma thanked him.

Susan had left the compound a couple days before after Steve broke things off with her. She was obviously upset but understood that Steve still had feelings for Peggy Carter and she would never be able to compete with that. It was for the best that she left even though Emma felt sad that her grandfather wouldn't let himself be happy. She understood how he felt in a way. If Emma ever lost Peter like Steve lost her grandmother then she didn't know if she could ever move on with her life without him.

Now it seemed as though Emma was going to have to say goodbye to Steve again but she didn't know for how long which was the scary part. He promised her it would be different than last time but Emma wasn't sure. She just wished the stupid accords never existed because her life would be so much better without them. While Emma understood Tony's logic behind the accords, that didn't mean she liked them.

The accords shifted the blame in regards to collateral damage but Emma didn't really care. If Steve and everyone else hadn't saved the world against Ultron, Loki, or Hydra then there would've been a lot more collateral damage. She had been in this kind of world too long so she knew that there was always going to be a death toll no matter what.

The accords wouldn't prevent that.

Besides…it was better to lose a few thousand lives rather than the whole world, right? Tony didn't seem to understand it but Emma understood that it just wasn't possible to save everyone. No matter how hard you tried, someone was still going to die at the end of the day. Emma accepted that but she just didn't know if Tony ever could.

"Hey, Emma," Peter started to say excitedly as he plopped down in a seat on her other side much to her father's obvious displeasure. "Look at the inside of the cake. Don't you wonder how they got the blue and red swirly things inside the cake? That's so cool."

"I guess," Emma said, not sounding as interested in how the cake was made although she was entirely amused by her boyfriend's sense of wonder. Bucky stared at the teenage boy in disbelief.

"You picked him?" Bucky asked her and Emma smirked.

"My choices were either him or an asshole who calls himself Flash. It was slim pickings," Emma told her father and Peter gave her an offended look.

"Flash? Seriously?"

"You know that you're a hundred times hotter than that garden gnome of a boy, Parker. It's like comparing a Vienna sausage to a bratwurst," Emma flirted and Peter blushed at her very dirty analogy. She didn't know why but she just assumed her father wouldn't have caught the meaning behind her analogy but she was sorely mistaken. Maybe he wasn't as clueless about stuff as she thought.

"Never flirt with him in front of me again," Bucky told Emma seriously, a disgusted look on his face. "I said that I would tolerate him but that doesn't mean I want to see something like that."

"Fine," Emma told her father as she rolled her eyes at him. He could be a baby sometimes.

"I also hope you don't think I'm stupid enough to not have understood that analogy," Bucky told his daughter, disturbed by where she had even learned to say something like that. Although it shouldn't have surprised him since she had spent a year living at the compound with Stark and then that same year living in a house with Darcy Lewis. Bucky always assumed he was a bad influence on her but maybe he wasn't the only one.

"I didn't tell her to say that, Mr. Barnes," Peter said quickly, wanting to make sure Emma's father knew that. Emma gave him an unimpressed look that was almost identical to her father's.

"Very brave," Emma said sarcastically and Peter resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at her before glancing back at her father. He felt the sudden urge to change the subject so Emma's dad didn't kill him.

"So how are you feeling, Mr. Barnes?" Peter asked him, blushing as he remembered that Emma's father had totally listened to her flirting with him. He really just wanted to change the subject at this point. He just hoped that her dad wasn't too mad at him. "Emma told me you work on a farm in Wakanda with goats and stuff. That's pretty fun. Do you have a pet goat? You know, I don't think I've ever seen a goat in real life before. Ooh…what's your goat's name?"

Bucky stared long and hard at Peter, still bewildered by how fast this kid could talk. He knew he would never understand what Emma saw in him but Bucky supposed she could do worse. She could've picked some guy as smug and irritating as Wilson which would've drove Bucky even crazier.

"Sam," Bucky finally answered and Emma raised an eyebrow at that. It seemed like Sam heard that from a short distance away, an offended look coming over his face.

"What was that, Barnes?" Sam asked, glaring at Steve's childhood best friend.

Sam liked to think of Bucky as the older rusty model of Steve's best friend while Sam was the hotter and newer model who was a billion times more interesting. Steve and Bucky had history? Well, that was fine. At least, Sam actually had a sense of humor and was a lot of fun unlike that old grump who spent his days brooding and contemplating his existence. The guy probably hadn't been laid in over seventy years either. It's not like Sam could talk since it had been about a year and a half for him but Bucky's lack of female attention really made him feel better about himself.

"Did I just hear that right?" Sam asked in disbelief. Bucky shrugged casually.

"I don't know what you heard, Wilson," Bucky said, his pale blue eyes boring into Sam's brown ones. "You seem to hear a lot of things."

Sam scoffed, annoyed by the subtle mocking tone in Bucky's voice. This guy really annoyed him like no one else. He used to think Emma's condescending nature was bad but this guy had her beat.

"You seriously named a goat after me?" Sam continued to ask in disbelief but Barnes didn't look ashamed. In fact, Sam thought he could detect the smallest smirk on his face.

"He reminded me of you," Bucky told him and Sam practically fumed. The nerve of this moron.

"Don't you two get started again," Steve said warningly, sounding more like a parent than a friend. Emma rolled her eyes at Sam and her father. She was reminded yet again that she was constantly surrounded by men. Everything seemed to be a pissing contest with them.

"Stop fighting over Steve. It's pathetic," Emma said, sounding bored with their weird rivalry/friendship. Peter laughed nervously as he tried to think of some way to not cause as many problems with Bucky and Sam. He really hadn't meant to do that.

"So I bet you're excited to go back to your goats, Mr. Barnes," Peter told his girlfriend's father, taking the man's attention away from Sam. Bucky looked back at the teenage boy, his mind then drifting back to his impending return to Wakanda.

Leaving Emma.

The former assassin frowned because he knew the time to leave was growing closer and Bucky was fearful of finally saying goodbye to Emma. Saying goodbye to her was the last thing he ever wanted to do but his time at the compound was coming to a close. It was inevitable that he would have to say goodbye tonight and it didn't help that this kid was reminding him of that fact. His departure was something Bucky had been contemplating for the past few days as he dreaded life back in Wakanda.

It wasn't that he didn't like Wakanda. It was quite the contrary. Bucky actually loved Wakanda and felt at peace in the beautiful country. But there was one thing missing.

Emma.

Bucky didn't want to leave her after just getting her back. He was terrified that she would be even older the next time he saw her. The moment he left, Bucky knew that his thoughts would be encompassed by nothing but her. So Bucky had secretly considered the plea deal Steve offhandedly mentioned to him. The one Ross and the rest of the UN offered in exchange for being able to keep track of Bucky.

They seemed to acknowledge the fact that Steve would hide him no matter so maybe they thought making a compromise would benefit them more.

That and they knew the Winter Soldier was a matter of great controversy.

There was a lot of people who thought he was the devil himself and deserved the death penalty for his crimes while there was also a great deal of people who sympathized with him and thought he should be pardoned. The UN really wanted to avoid conflict in this political climate so they were offering a plea deal for him if he turned himself in.

Of course, there was a ton of downfalls of said deal.

While his house arrest would only be for a year like it would be for Scott Lang and Barton, the UN would still monitor him for probably the remainder of his life. He wouldn't ever be allowed to own a weapon, he'd have constant surveillance, frequent required therapy sessions, and constant check-ups from agents employed by the government. Most of all, he would never be approved to be part of the Avengers initiative. Not even if he completed the theoretical house arrest would the Accords ever allow him to be in any capacity to fight on the Avengers behalf.

He would be forced to retire indefinitely.

Steve informed him of this plea deal, thinking that Bucky would find it as ridiculous as he did. The super soldier seemed to think that Ross was insane for thinking Bucky would ever accept a plea deal like that which would be signing away all his privacy and was basically the same thing as prison. However, Bucky wasn't so dismissive of the plea deal and for just one reason alone.

He could be with Emma.

Yes, he wouldn't be free in the obvious sense but Bucky would always be free as long as he had her. This was his one opportunity to be in Emma's life. In all honesty, Bucky didn't care about being an Avenger despite what Steve might think. Bucky was tired and he just wanted to live in peace. If agreeing to this plea deal was the only way he could stay with Emma then Bucky thought he could do it.

"I don't want you to worry, Mr. Barnes. I'm going to take care of Emma while you're gone," Peter told Bucky reassuringly, breaking the older man out of his thoughts. The expression on Peter's face was entirely innocent and his voice was full of sincerity but Bucky didn't like that sentence one bit. Bucky had a flashback to that day he walked in on that idiot on top of Emma, his tongue shoved down her throat as he pressed himself against her.

If you leave there's going to be a lot more of that. That horny little idiot probably can't wait until you leave so he's free to have his way with Emma.

Bucky tried to tell himself that the kid was too terrified of him to try anything but then he remembered what he was like when he was that age. There were plenty of fathers who warned Bucky about keeping his hands to himself in regards to their daughters. It was enough to make Bucky feel apprehensive but that all changed when he was alone with said daughter. This kid was going to do the same thing when Bucky left and he had Emma all to himself.

"I can take care of my fucking self," Emma told her boyfriend, not appreciating the fact that Peter was talking about her like she was incapable of taking care of herself.

"You know what I mean. I just don't want your dad to worry," Peter said as he calmed her down. She wasn't really angry but just annoyed.

"Emma, I've told you time and time again not to use that kind of language," Steve started to lecture her. "I feel like I'm going to have to tell Vision to make a swear jar while I'm gone. You really need to cut that kind of behavior out. Just tell me why you feel the need to talk like that all the time? When I was your age and-"

"I'm going to stay," Bucky said abruptly, making his mind up right in that point of time. Everyone fell silent, turning their heads in Bucky's direction. It seemed like everyone in the room was shocked. Even Emma gave her father a wide eyed look.

"What?" Steve asked, clearly shocked by his best friend's random outburst. Bucky nodded slowly.

"I think I'm going to take that plea deal Ross was offering," Bucky said slowly, finally making his mind up about staying or leaving. Who knew that it would be Peter Parker who would make his decision so easy.

"Bucky, you don't know what you're saying," Steve told him, the first person to speak in the awkward silence. "You can't actually think of doing that. Ross can't be trusted. I don't mean any offense, Rhodey, but you can't trust him. He'll throw you in Raft the first chance he gets."

"Steve's right, Papa," Emma told her father once she finally got past her shock and realized what her father was saying. "It's not safe for you here. Ross only offered you a plea deal so he can keep track of you."

"You're safer in Wakanda," T'Challa said, also in agreement with Steve and Emma. Shuri nodded, knowing that her older brother was right. Bucky would be safe in Wakanda and everyone knew it."No one will find you there and you can be free."

"This isn't about being free," Bucky told them and Emma read her father's tense demeanor. She saw the determination in his eyes and immediately knew that his decision was already made. Spending years in her father's company gave her the ability to read him in a way no one else could. Not even Steve. "Because I can't ever be free in Wakanda. Not when I'm over there worrying about Emma every day. You saw what happened when we were gone, Steve. That vulture guy and then Hydra. Anything could've happened to her."

"I already told you that I would take care of her, Mr. Barnes," Peter hesitantly spoke and Bucky gave him a look of great distaste. Emma glared at Peter for talking about her like she wasn't there once again but she didn't say anything. She knew that wasn't the reason her father wanted to stay. It was a lot more than him just worrying about her.

"You'll just have to excuse me if that doesn't make me feel better," Bucky told the teenage boy but it wasn't that Bucky worried about Emma in that way. He knew better than anyone else that she could more than take care of herself. It was more of the fact that he didn't want to miss out on anymore of Emma's life which was why Bucky wanted to stay. It was selfish and he knew that but Bucky no longer cared. "This isn't up for debate. I'm staying here and that's final."

"Bucky, you don't know what you're giving up by staying here," Steve said in a desperate attempt to talk some sense into his best friend. "Ross wouldn't let you out of his grasp ever again. You'd be trapped forever."

"Papa, you don't have to do this for me," Emma said quietly, not knowing what else to say to her father to keep him from staying. Bucky just gave her a small but affectionate smile as his gaze immediately softened.

"I really hate leaving you and I don't have it in me to do it again," Bucky told her softly. His heart ached each day he was away from her and if there was a chance that he could stay with her then he was going to take it. "House arrest is a small price to pay if it means I don't have to miss you anymore. As for all the other stuff that'll be taken away from me…I don't care."

Bucky turned to look back at Steve, the entire room was focused on Bucky, Emma, and Steve at this point. Everyone realized that they were witnessing an incredibly big moment and they knew from the look on Bucky's face that he wasn't going to go back to Wakanda.

That much was obvious.

"I'm tired, Steve. I'm tired of running and fighting all the time. All the Avenger stuff…that's you. That's not me. That was never going to be me," Bucky told his friend sincerely. "I don't want to be on the run anymore and I don't want to miss another second of Emma's life. Staying here is the right decision to make."

"I don't want to miss another second either," Steve said, sounding a bit guilty that he wasn't staying like Bucky planned on doing but Bucky just shook his head.

"You need to go and do what you do best because the world needs you. Emma knows that and so do I," Bucky said in response and Steve sighed heavily, realizing that there was no way in hell he was ever going to get Bucky to change his mind. It's not that he didn't want Emma to have Bucky here but it was more of the fact that Bucky would be under house arrest with serious repercussions. Steve didn't want that for Bucky but Steve realized that he couldn't make that decision for him. Bucky spent most of his life being controlled so Steve wasn't going to do that to him.

"Where are you even going to stay? One of Ross's rules is that you need a place of residence and-" Steve started to say but he was quickly interrupted by the last person anyone thought would have input on this conversation.

"He can stay here at the compound," Tony Stark answered abruptly. Everyone looked at the billionaire in surprise.

None looking more surprised than Bucky Barnes.

Tony just shrugged nonchalantly, looking as though there wasn't anything odd about him offering to house Bucky at the compound for the entirety of the former assassin's house arrest. This would mean sharing the same residence as Bucky for who knows how long. Probably seeing him every day, eating with him, and forced to make small talk in elevators and over coffee in the one of the many kitchens.

"It's already empty enough with the rest of you going away so it's not like we're maxed at capacity," Tony said casually as if this was all totally normal. "It's probably better for everyone if your house arrest is at the compound. Ross would feel better about you being here than somewhere in the city. I'm going to hire a resident psychiatrist which I know is one of the conditions. Emma also spends all her weekends up here so it's a win-win."

"Are you serious?" Emma asked in disbelief, still shocked that Tony was offering to house her father during his house arrest. It was just over a year ago when he tried to kill her father so you could imagine her surprise.

"Would I kid about something like this?" Tony asked her sarcastically before rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. "No, it'll be fine. Ross will feel more secure about Barnes here at the compound with the security systems and monitoring while Barnes has a place to safely practice some new hobbies. I'd start with knitting. Lewis knows how to knit so maybe she could show you a thing or two."

"I made a scarf for you last year and you still haven't worn it," Darcy complained loudly, finally breaking the ice with all the tension and silence in the room.

"Powder blue isn't really my color. What can I say?" Tony retorted before forcing himself to look at Bucky again. It wasn't often he actually looked at Bucky, mostly just ignoring him entirely whenever he set foot in a room, which is why everyone was still in shock. "I'll give you Sam's old room. We'll redecorate it and throw all his shit out."

"What the hell, man!" Sam exclaimed, looking offended and Tony just shrugged. "I haven't even left yet and you're already giving away my room."

"That's what happens when you're a criminal," Tony retorted, a mischievous gleam in his eyes as he smirked. "I'm already considering renting out all of your rooms. Maybe Airbnb. What do you think?"

"You're very funny, Tony," Natasha said sarcastically although she looked amused by him nonetheless and deep down she was going miss the dynamic they reverted to for a brief amount of time. The group dynamic had been just like the old days for a few fleeting days but now it was going to come to an end because no matter what, they were just never going to agree on the accords.

"I know I am but-" Tony was interrupted from making another quip when Emma abruptly hugged him. Everyone's eyes widened in surprise as the blonde willingly attached herself to Tony who she almost always claimed to be the most annoying person in the world.

For once, Tony didn't say anything. He was mostly shocked by the fact that she was hugging him and to be honest whenever Emma hugged him, he was always shocked. The first time she ever hugged him was when she was a little girl but Tony knew she didn't remember that part of her life. The second time was not that long ago because it was something she thought he needed. And the last time was just a few days ago when she was scared that she was going to lose Peter.

This hug felt different though.

"Thank you, Tony," Emma said softly as Tony slowly but hesitantly wrapped his arms around the blonde who just so happened to be nearly the same height as him. "I really mean it. Thanks for doing this."

"Don't mention it, Mini Cap," Tony said, trying to dismiss her appreciation. He suddenly felt bashful from her rare affection. Pepper smiled at him from across the room, looking at him and Emma embracing like it was the most adorable thing in the world. Peter just gave them a knowing look because he knew deep down that Emma loved Tony maybe just as much as she loved Steve and her father. Steve just seemed curious about how the tense relationship between Emma and Tony changed so much during the span of a year.

It was no secret that they never got along.

Well, Emma never got along with anyone but she disliked Tony the most. The blonde always found Tony's conceit and narcissism unbearable while she despised the way he made fun of Steve when Emma believed that Steve deserved nothing but his respect. His decisions always infuriated Emma but during some point during Steve's absence, Emma made amends with the billionaire and they even seemed close to a certain extent.

Steve didn't know how this came about but he assumed it had something to do with Peter Parker.

Steve realized that he owed that kid a lot. He always had big hopes and dreams for Emma, wanting nothing more for her than to just have a normal life. The super soldier sometimes feared that this would only be wishful thinking instead of reality but somehow Peter changed everything. He was the key to unlocking a softer and more carefree side to Emma and Steve knew that Peter was good for her. The boy was changing Emma's life for the better and Steve was eternally grateful.

Yes, Steve knew that same boy planned to do less than innocent things with Emma but he thought he could overlook those things in favor of all the good things. In Steve's opinion, Emma was way too young to be having sex but at the same time he knew if Emma wanted to do something then she was going to do it. No one would stop her so as long as she was safe then Steve had to be okay with it.

Emma, however, knew this was the best present Tony had ever given her.

Not the car or the suit but her father. Having her father with her was the one thing she always dreamed of having but just accepting that it was a pipe dream at the same time. However, Tony was giving her this and Emma could hardly believe it.

Her father safely back in her life.

It seemed a little too good to be true but maybe it could be true, after all.

"Just let me thank you, Tony," Emma whispered against his shoulder as she continued to embrace her godfather. For once, Tony didn't make a sarcastic comment. He just patted her back soothingly and Tony allowed himself to live in the moment.

Things had changed drastically between them and that was a good thing.

Tony was sure of it.

---

Bucky was still reeling from the fact that he wasn't running for once in his life.

Everyone else was getting one of the Quinjets ready to go but Bucky wasn't preparing to leave like he always used to. He was preparing to turn himself into tomorrow to Ross and receive his plea deal. Hopefully everything went smoothly.

Bucky could only hope.

"You hoping for the domestic sort of life then?" Tony Stark asked abruptly but Bucky didn't pause in his movement as he looked out the window and up at the night sky. He was still in the recreational area of the compound, deciding to let Emma have some time with Steve before Steve had to leave. The former assassin had heard Tony's footsteps down the hall and knew he was coming.

"Something like that," Bucky said quietly, eyeing Tony from the corner of his eye while still keeping his gaze on the others outside as they loaded up the Quinjet. The billionaire quietly stood next to him, pretending to find a tree particularly interesting.

"You know, I never would've pegged you as the dad type," Tony remarked, still looking immensely curious yet revolted by the bond Emma and him seemed to share. It disgusted Tony that Emma viewed this man as her father when her real father lay six feet under and Emma didn't seem to care or ever acknowledge that man as her actual father. He didn't know why Emma seemed to resent her parents but Tony didn't like it.

"I'm not but everything's different where Emma's concerned," Bucky said softly, not knowing how else to explain the hold Emma had on him. He then began to wonder why Tony was even here in the first place. Bucky thought he would've been the last person Tony had ever wanted to talk to. Which was why it surprised him even more when Tony seemingly offered Bucky to stay there at the compound…this was the same man whose parents Bucky killed. Bucky had a little trouble believing that Tony was helping him out of the kindness of his heart.

"She seems to think the world of you," Tony remarked and it was clear from his tone that this didn't exactly please Tony. "It's kind of like if there was a burning building and she had to save one thing then she'd pick you without hesitation. I sometimes wonder if she'd pick you over the kid and Cap. Maybe she would."

"That's not true," Bucky said quietly, knowing his daughter better than anyone. He had known her longer than all the rest of them, after all. Bucky had watched her grow up right before his very eyes and he knew all the pain and horror that rested in her mind. "She loves Steve and she should since he's her own blood."

Tony just fell silent at the man's vague but firm answer. For some reason, Tony thought the former Hydra assassin would take pleasure in being the center of Emma's universe. Tony even thought he'd be smug about it but there seemed to be an almost guilty look on Bucky's face as though he thought he didn't deserve Emma's adoration. Tony had to agree with him there. He really didn't deserve Emma at all.

"Why did you do it?" Bucky asked, his voice sounding lost as he turned to look at Tony. The billionaire finally met his gaze for the first time since Bucky arrived at the compound. Tony could never quite find it in himself to lock eyes with his parents' killer. It pained him too much so he decided to ignore the man because it was easier.

Tony just never expected to see so much pain and torment in the man's eyes.

"Do what?" Tony questioned, faking a smirk as he raised an eyebrow. "Wear this shirt with these shoes? I don't really know. Pepper got me the shirt last Christmas and I thought it would make her happy if I wore it. Women, you know. Well, maybe you don't know. I take it that it's probably been a good seventy years since you've gotten laid."

Tony was surprised when the man didn't glare at him or roll his eyes in the very least. He stared at him blankly which proved to him that he wasn't much like Emma. Emma who seemed to have a temper and who always glared at Tony whenever he teased her.

What Tony didn't know was that the former assassin was actually very amused. He was even reminded of a time from long ago when Tony's father and himself spent the night off base when they were in France to find some French girls to entertain for the evening. It was just him and Howard since Steve didn't seem to have eyes for anyone other than Peggy Carter.

Bucky hadn't even known about the memory until right in that moment when Tony's sarcastic comment triggered the memory.

His mind was suddenly filled with images of a dimly lit restaurant that had somehow escaped the destruction of the rest of the village. He could still taste the sweet wine on his lips and the aroma of the cuisine that the chef made especially for them. People seemed to be a lot nicer whenever Howard Stark was around and Bucky remembered being in awe of the man's wealth and charm. If Bucky focused enough he could still smell the faint smell of cigar smoke in the air and hear the happy laughter.

He then felt an immense amount of guilt wash over him when he realized that he killed that same man who was so kind to him. Bucky who was just a nobody from Brooklyn yet Howard Stark treated him as a friend. The guilt continued to spread through him as he remembered the look in Howard Stark's eyes right before Bucky murdered him.

Howard Stark who had recognized him.

"What? No retort or look of disdain. God, you're boring," Tony quipped when Bucky didn't say anything.

"I meant why are you letting me stay here? Why are you helping me?" Bucky asked him seriously, not having much time for Tony's sarcastic remarks. Bucky wanted to understand why Tony was doing this. Was it all part of some game or trick?

Tony sighed heavily, allowing himself to drop the façade of sarcastic remarks and arrogance. He took his tinted shades off his face and almost nervously fiddled with them in his hands for a moment before answering the man he absolutely loathed.

"I'm not doing this for you," Tony told him, being honest and sincere for the first time in the conversation. He realized that he needed to have a conversation with Barnes if he was ever going to move on with his life and be happy. "I'm doing this for Emma."

Bucky remained silent as he stared at Tony with a thoughtful and somewhat alarmed look on his face.

"I've seen her go through a couple phases in the past couple years of knowing her," Tony started to say as he explained himself to the quiet former assassin. "She adjusted to a normal life and learned what love and affection was from Steve when she first got here. Trust me, she was pretty bad at first. She distrusted everyone and rarely spoke more than couple words to us and not to mention she made a hobby out of tormenting us but she was on the brink of happiness. It was like she knew she could be happy but she didn't let herself be."

"Then came Peter," Tony said, not allowing Bucky a chance to speak. "I thank every day for him because he's shown her how to be a kid and for it be something she actually wants. She laughs and smiles but it's not fake. It's real."

"But through all of this I notice that there's always been a piece missing," Tony finally said as much as he didn't want to admit any of this. "It's like she always held herself back from letting go and being happy. I think it's because she felt guilty that you weren't here too."

"I know how hard this must be for you," Bucky said quietly, not knowing what else to say to something like that. He realized then that Tony must've cared for Emma a lot. Steve mentioned she would be safe with Tony since Tony was her godfather but Bucky hadn't entirely believed him. He foolishly thought Tony would use Emma in a plot of revenge against him but he could see now that he was severely mistaken.

Tony raised an eyebrow, giving Bucky a look of disbelief.

"Hard, huh?" Tony said sarcastically. "Why would willingly living with the man who killed my parents be weird?"

A look of severe guilt crossed Bucky's face as he opened his mouth to speak but Tony stopped him before he could. The billionaire suddenly looked tired as he sighed heavily.

"Look, I know that you were brainwashed by Hydra and made into their weapon. I get that," Tony said slowly as he tried to do what he set out to do by putting the past in the past. "Hydra killed my parents and you were just the gun. Not the trigger."

"It doesn't erase the fact that I still did it," Bucky told him, his eyes remaining locked onto Tony's face. There was a mixture of different emotions on his face. Between the guilt, sadness, remorse, and acceptance. This told Tony that Bucky accepted whatever fate Tony gave him. Whether it be forgiveness or eternal hatred. "I don't expect your forgiveness because what I did was unredeemable and I'll never be able to change what happened no matter how much I wish I could. I'm just sorry that it happened and I was the one who did it."

Tony fell silent at Bucky's sincere apology. He expressed his remorse before but never in the form of an actual real apology. Tony didn't believe that Bucky held off on the apology because he wasn't sorry but maybe it was because he didn't know how to say he was sorry for something that was so heinously unforgiveable.

"I think I have to forgive you," Tony finally said after a moment of silence as he considered what Bucky said. The former assassin in question looked up at the billionaire in surprise. "Not forgiving you means that everything Emma did in Hydra was her fault and that she can't be redeemed. It would make me a hypocrite if I blamed you for all the things you were forced to do by Hydra but not blame Emma."

Tony laughed humorlessly to himself, confusing Bucky even further.

"I never thought I would say this in a million years but I'd just like to move on," Tony said sincerely as Bucky just watched him silently. "I'm never going to be your friend. No offense but I can't see us making each other friendship bracelets in the near future. I know it wasn't your fault but what happened still happened at the end of the day."

"I understand," Bucky said softly, not expecting much from Tony since Tony forgiving him in the first place was way more than Bucky ever expected.

"However, I'll still have your back through this house arrest thing with Ross and the UN. I'll get you a legal defense team if it comes down to it," Tony informed Bucky much to Bucky's surprise. He didn't really know what to think of Tony's generosity and he definitely didn't think he deserved it but he appreciated it deep down. "Don't feel like we're all against you or anything."

"Thank you," Bucky finally spoke, sounding very bewildered by Tony's out of place kindness.

"For what it's worth, I'm uh…sorry too, I guess," Tony told Bucky, looking very uncomfortable all of a sudden because he wasn't used to this apologizing thing while making amends. Bucky just gave him a quizzical look, not knowing what Tony had to be sorry for. "For trying to kill you back in Siberia. I wasn't thinking clearly and if I had then I wouldn't have done it. Emma really loves you and it would've devastated her. She never would've forgiven me and I'd probably be dead right now."

Tony said the last line jokingly but a large part of him kind of believed that things could've gone differently between him and Emma if Tony had actually killed Bucky. The older man was glad he hadn't been able to kill Barnes. Emma and him wouldn't have the relationship they had now if he did. Mostly because Tony was almost positive she would've killed him.

"That's fine," Bucky said awkwardly, trying to find the right words to say. "I deserved it."

"You're lucky that she cares that much about you," Tony said, seemingly randomly but he meant the statement. Bucky gave him a confused look. "She cares enough to look at you like she would a father. I knew her real father so I don't think I'd ever find you deserving of that title but she thinks you are."

"I'm more than aware that I don't deserve her," Bucky stated sincerely, an unreadable expression on his face but his eyes seemed worlds away. "I'm sure her real father deserved her more than I do. If he was Steve's son then he must've been a good man."

"He was," Tony said softly, reminiscing memories in his life that seemed like they happened hundreds of years ago. The billionaire then blinked, snapping out of his thoughts as he swallowed hard before looking back at Bucky. "So we good then, Terminator?"

"Uh…sure," Bucky said, giving Tony an odd look at the reference he obviously didn't get. Tony nodded, satisfied with how this conversation turned out, before putting his shades back on.

"Good," Tony stated before patting Bucky on the shoulder. The former assassin flinched from the contact, not quite used to people touching him, but he made no move to shrug away or retaliate against Tony. He just remained entangled in his discomfort. "I'll just leave you to it then. Good talk, Barnes."

Tony then started to walk away from Bucky, feeling a huge weight lifted off his shoulders from the much needed talk between himself and Barnes. He felt like he was finally taking a new and different direction in his life. Tony was sure this was going to be a good direction because it meant finally putting his past in the past and maybe even allowing himself to be happy now that he was slowly starting to let go of all the resentment that had been brewing in him for the past year or so.

The Avenger almost exited the room completely before he remembered something. Tony stopped in his steps before turning around to look at Bucky one last time. Bucky gave him another quizzical look as Tony opened his mouth and spoke.

"Oh and by the way," Tony paused before looking directly at Bucky. "You ever hurt the kid like that again or threaten him, I'll make your life a living hell."

It was difficult to determine whether or not Tony was joking but Bucky didn't let himself feel intimidated. In fact, he looked a little more confident as he stood up straight and simply rose an eyebrow at Tony.

"As long as that little horny pervert keeps his dick in his pants then we won't have a problem," Bucky retorted, a large amount of snark in his voice as he stared back at Tony without breaking eye contact. Tony stared back silently for a moment before nodding to himself.

"Fair enough," Tony remarked before finally turning back around and leaving the room, feeling Bucky's eyes on him as he left.

He walked down the hallway of the compound with a new feeling of amusement washing over him. It was odd because he didn't think he'd ever feel amused by the man he had been so hellbent on hating for the past year. However, he was turning over a new leaf in his life so a lot had changed.

Weirdly enough, Tony even thought that maybe Barnes and him could've been friends in another life. Barnes' snark was evidence enough of that.

---

Emma stood outside on the landing pad with everyone else as Steve and the others started to prepare to leave. The faction of Avengers on the run would be leaving in the Quinjet they arrived in while T'Challa, Okoye, and Shuri would be leaving in their own Wakandan aircraft that they arrived in but only this time Emma's father wasn't going with them.

She was still living in a dreamlike state because she accepted a couple days ago that she would have to say goodbye to Steve and her father yet again. Emma figured that she would spend the whole night, after they left, crying in Peter's arms because she already missed them but maybe she wouldn't have to.

Because her father was staying.

"Thanks for everything you've done for me, T'Challa. I really appreciate it," Bucky Barnes told the Wakandan king who only smiled at him in return.

"You're a friend of mine as well as Wakanda. You're welcome back any time you wish," T'Challa said kindly, patting his friend on the shoulder before stepping back. Bucky returned his smile.

"Thank you," He told him before Shuri gave him a big grin.

"Looks like there won't be any more broken white boys living in Wakanda," Shuri said teasingly. "It's a shame. You were the talk of the whole city for a while there. Things will be boring again."

"I'm sure they will be, princess," Bucky said, giving the princess an amused look. Shuri then turned to look at Peter and Emma.

"It was nice meeting you both," Shuri said, bidding the other two teenagers goodbye. "You guys really know an adventure when you see one."

"I hope we see each other again," Peter said in a positive tone as he smiled back at Shuri. Shuri nodded.

"Maybe you can come to Wakanda someday and I can show you my lab. It makes Stark's lab look prehistoric," Shuri said jokingly and Peter laughed.

"I'm sure it does and I'd love to see it someday," Peter said in response and Shuri turned to look at Emma who was looking at her suspiciously as she remained close to Peter's side. Shuri snorted in amusement because this girl was easily the least pleasant and the most all too serious person Shuri had ever encountered. Making friends didn't seem to be this girl's strong quality.

"Relax, white girl," Shuri said as she teased Emma, her eyes sparkling with mischief, and Emma narrowed her eyes at her. "I'm not here to steal your man. No need to get all jealous and murder me with those gorgeous looking blue eyes of yours."

Emma didn't say anything as she just continued to stare her down. Shuri could hardly believe this was the sweet young girl that Bucky always went on about back in Wakanda. One would've thought Emma was some kind of angel from the way Bucky talked about her.

"Right, well, good luck with that one, Peter. You're going to need it," Shuri said when Emma still remained silent, thoroughly creeping out the other teenage girl. The Wakandan princess then proceeded to walk away to wish Jane, Erik, and Darcy goodbye. As soon as she was out of earshot, Peter nudged Emma.

"You need to be nice, Emma," Peter said scoldingly and Emma just raised an eyebrow at him before shrugging.

"She was flirting with you. I just wanted her to know who you belong to," Emma said, showing off her possessive side but not ashamed of her actions. Peter pretended to annoyed at her possessiveness but in all honesty he was always turned on when she said stuff like that. Most people would blush and deny their jealousy but Emma never did.

"Shuri was not flirting with me," Peter told his crazy girlfriend and it was the truth. He was one hundred percent positive that Shuri was not interested in him in any shape or form. "Don't be ridiculous. I don't know why you think every single girl is interested in me. You're literally the only girl that's ever wanted anything to do with me and I'm pretty sure it's because you're crazy."

"There are plenty of women interested in you. Liz Allan, Betty Brant, and I even overheard Cindy discussing that cute little ass of yours during art class, Parker, so don't tell me women don't notice you," Emma said, proving Peter wrong as her boyfriend blushed. "It's sad and sometimes irritating that you don't know how many girls would kill me just so they can take my place and get in your pants."

"I don't believe you at all when you say that," Peter told Emma in disbelief. "I'm just me. You're the one who's out of my league. At least, I actually have a right to be jealous because I always hear Brandon Fletcher talking about hot you are and how you'd totally forget all about dorky Peter Parker after one night with him. You have no idea how much I want to punch that asshole in the face."

"Who the fuck is Brandon Fletcher?" Emma questioned abruptly and Peter just stared at her silently. He then shook his head before answering.

"Emma, Brandon Fletcher is only like, the most popular guy in school. Everyone knows and loves him," Peter told her but Emma didn't look any less confused. Peter continued to explain who this boy was when she still seemed clueless. "He's the class president, the star of the basketball team, head of prom committee, and he's friends with basically everyone."

"Nope," Emma said, her memory not jogged by any of that. "Doesn't ring a bell."

"How do you not know who he is? He's always on during morning announcements with Betty and Jason," Peter said, shocked that Emma was probably the only person who didn't know who Brandon Fletcher was. Emma shrugged nonchalantly.

"I don't watch that. Betty's stupid face pisses me off so I ignore it," Emma explained and Peter just shook his head in amusement.

"He sits next to you in Spanish and he always asks you for a pencil but he's secretly trying to get you to talk to him," Peter finally said and he realized there was only one way to get Emma to know who he was talking about. He sighed heavily before elaborating. "The fifth time he asked you for a pencil during first semester, you told him to buy his own fucking pencils and to stop interrupting your Haim time to bother you with his ignorance."

Emma finally realized who Peter was talking about but she didn't remember what he exactly looked like. A lot of those idiots at school were just faceless assholes in Emma's mind. If she didn't talk to them on a regular basis then she didn't care enough to remember their names or faces.

However, the guy Peter was talking about was one of those faceless assholes that Emma didn't care to remember. He was just the annoying guy in Spanish who was always asking her for shit which was extra annoying when Emma was trying to listen to Haim's new album and mull over all the new lyrics.

"Ew! That guy? He has a fucking beard, Peter. That's disgusting," Emma said, looking thoroughly grossed out by Peter suggesting that this apparent popular kid liked her. "I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole. He's a stoner too so that's even more disgusting."

"It's like you don't even go to high school with me. You don't know who anyone is," Peter muttered but secretly he was glad that Emma never paid attention to any of those guys he always caught staring at her. It's like those boys didn't even exist to Emma.

"I don't pay attention to boring people, Peter. These people you always complain about are some of the most boring people I've ever seen," Emma told Peter, not looking like she cared whether or not these people were popular. "You shouldn't be worried about that guy named Brandon and you shouldn't be worried about any guy because you're hotter than all of them combined."

"Emma…" Peter said almost shyly as his ears flushed red from the way Emma looked at him as she spoke. He really hoped that her dad wasn't eavesdropping on them. Peter was still deathly scared of her dad murdering him.

"I'm not kidding, Peter. I mean, I'm attracted to you because of your personality but it's also superficial too. You're really hot and I'm pretty sure you're the only who doesn't know it," Emma told Peter truthfully but she didn't look embarrassed from her admission. She then smirked, not being able to resist making Peter blush more. "Your penis is probably a huge factor, no pun intended, in that too now that I've seen it. I have to admit I was impressed. I've felt it against me a bunch of times but seeing it was different. It's an impressive length."

"Emma, shut up. Your dad will kill me if he hears you talking about that," Peter said, his eyes widened in disbelief at how far Emma was taking this although he also secretly felt pride at Emma's remark about his size.

"The girth too," Emma continued to flirt and Peter was pretty sure he was as red as a tomato at this point. "You have a really beautiful penis, Peter. You should be proud and own it."

"Emma!" Peter exclaimed, wishing that Emma would shut up about his dick because her dad was going to murder him right on this landing pad if she wasn't careful. She always loved to flirt and tease him but now that her dad was going to stick around, she was going to get him killed with all her remarks. A smug look then crossed her face as a thought popped into her head.

"Or should I say you have a really beautiful winky," Emma said teasingly and Peter groaned, running a hand across his face.

"I should've known you wouldn't let that go…even after all this time," Peter complained loudly although deep down he was glad Emma was back to teasing him. He thought she would be miserable now that Steve and the others were leaving but maybe her father staying behind cheered her up.

"You know me too well but you seem to be lacking in confidence, Parker," Emma said suggestively, going back to flirting with her boyfriend like before. "Maybe we need to go back to our "practicing" so I can show you just how much I'm not out of your league."

Peter swallowed hard, almost jumping at Emma's offer until he remembered himself and remember where he was. The teenage boy forced himself to think logically which was extremely difficult to do when Emma flirted with him.

"Emma, as much as I'm happy that you get your dad back and all," Peter started to say before continuing. "He's never going to let us be alone together now that he's here."

Emma didn't really seem bothered by Peter's logic. In fact, she looked perfectly calm which Peter didn't understand because he was terrified that Emma's dad was going to walk in on them doing stuff again. The first time was bad enough and Peter feared her father wouldn't hesitate in killing him this time.

"Papa's going to be on house arrest at the compound," Emma said calmly and Peter nodded, not knowing why Emma was telling him this since he already knew.

"Yeah, so…"

"So…that means that he's going to be stuck at the compound 24/7 but it also means that he won't be there to watch us when we go back to the city when school starts again," Emma pointed out to him and Peter's eyes widened at what she was telling him. He was instantly elated as a sense of relief washed over him. "Darcy's with Jane at work a lot of the time so that leaves just you and I at the townhouse. It'll be perfect. We'll have time for us during the week and then I get to spend weekends with Papa while you work for Tony."

"Yeah, that sounds like it's going to work out perfectly," Peter said in agreement as he cleared his throat. For the first time in his life, Peter actually felt excited for school to start back up again. Mostly because Emma was suggesting that they could be together without the fear of her father walking in on them and murdering him.

Peter could finally relax a little.

"I was afraid that I would go back to missing my father and Steve like before but it's going to be different this time because I have Papa," Emma told Peter, allowing herself to be happy for a moment before she finally told Steve goodbye. "I'll still miss Steve but Steve promised that it was going to be different this time around. We'll find a better way to keep in touch."

"I'm glad you're happy and I'm glad you got your dad back," Peter said sincerely and he really meant it despite how much her dad terrified him. Peter was happy because Emma was happy. "I really am, Emma."

"There you two are," Steve said as he approached the two teenagers before Emma could respond to Peter. The landing pad was bustling with Avengers as everyone rushed around to get things loaded onto the Quinjet. They had to hurry since Ross was coming tomorrow.

"Hi, Mr. Rogers," Peter said shyly, thankful that Emma's grandfather didn't show up two minutes earlier because that could've ended badly. It was even worse since Emma informed him that Steve was aware that he and Emma were going to have sex. Peter was honestly surprised that Steve hadn't killed him yet like he was sure her father would if he found out the same information. Either way, Peter was just grateful to be alive.

"Peter," Steve greeted a bit awkwardly. He honestly didn't know how to talk to his granddaughter's boyfriend now that he was made aware of the fact of what Peter planned to do with Emma. Even though he let Emma know it was okay, Steve still felt incredibly uncomfortable about it but he decided to take a different approach to it than Bucky would. He felt like Emma wouldn't be happy if he killed her boyfriend.

"So this is it?" Emma said, not really knowing how she was going to say goodbye to Steve. Steve smiled at her sadly before nodding.

"I'm afraid so."

"I don't want to say goodbye again," Emma said, starting to feel overcome with emotion at the thought of not seeing Steve again. Steve just nodded before pulling her into his arms and holding her close.

There was a time in her life where Emma would've stood stiffly in his arms and waited for him to remove himself from her but things were different now. Emma wanted nothing more than to remain in her grandfather's arms because she was scared. She didn't know why it had to be this way but Emma would give anything for those days in Avengers' Tower where everything was more simple. Emma missed it and these last couple weeks at the compound was a reminder of those simpler times. However, she knew deep down that it couldn't be.

"I know but it won't be goodbye for long. I promise it'll be different this time," Steve told her sincerely. "We'll talk all the time and we'll even arrange a few visits. It'll be hard but we'll see each other soon."

"Okay," Emma said as she pulled away to look up at him.

It was at this point Bucky returned from chatting with T'Challa and Shuri, standing next to Peter as he witnessed the goodbye between Emma and Steve. Bucky then took the time to look at his daughter's boyfriend suspiciously.

"I hope you know that now that I'm here, I'm not taking my eyes off of Emma for one minute," Bucky said under his breath but he knew Peter could hear him. The teenage boy jumped before looking up at him with wide eyes. He hadn't even realized that Emma's father was there until he spoke. It was moments like these that Peter realized where Emma learned her annoying skill of always sneaking up on people.

"Uh…okay," Peter said awkwardly, not having a clue as to how to respond to Emma's father. He felt like every time he and Emma's father spent time together, the man was always threatening him. Peter wished there was a way to get Emma's dad to like him but he figured as long as he was dating Emma then it was just wishful thinking. In a way, he was glad Emma had a bunch of people who were so protective of her.

Even if her dad did go overboard all the time.

"Don't think that just because Steve's gone that you can do whatever you want with her because I'm going to be here and I'm not leaving this time," Bucky told him darkly and Peter forced himself to not be scared of the very intimidating man. In fact, he'd be lying if he said that he didn't want to rub it in his face that Bucky couldn't be around all the time. Peter then realized that he couldn't be afraid of Emma's dad forever. He had to stand up to him and show him that he wasn't scared of him.

"You won't be around all the time," Peter said, attempting to sound strong but his voice was actually quite weak. Bucky gaze hardened as he stared at the boy in disbelief, thinking he might've misheard him.

"What did you just say to me?" Bucky hissed and Peter took a deep breath before looking up and locking eyes with Bucky.

"Emma and I will be living in the city while we go to school. We'll only spend weekends here," Peter said as calmly as possible as he stood up to Bucky. "You won't be there because you'll be stuck here on house arrest but don't worry, Mr. Barnes, I'll take good care of her."

Peter even had the audacity to smirk at the shocked look on Bucky's face but mostly because he was proud that he finally stuck up for himself. The expression on Bucky's face then morphed into pure rage as Peter just continued to give him a snide look before walking off. Bucky was tempted to chased after the idiot and break his promise to Emma about not killing the asshole but he didn't want to ruin the goodbye between Emma and Steve.

Bucky took it back.

He really hated that smug little bastard.

Bucky had no clue why Emma seemed to look at that kid in adoration. The boy talked too much, he was soft, annoying, and more importantly, the boy was probably just counting down the days until he finally got Emma into bed. God, Bucky had never met someone that infuriated him that much.

Not even Wilson.

"You're going to be just fine because you're you," Steve told Emma reassuringly, comforting her because he knew this was going to be hard on the both of them. Bucky turned his attention back to Steve and Emma. "You're tough just like your grandmother. You'll get through this because you're more like her than me."

"It'll still be hard," Emma said quietly and Steve nodded.

"It'll be hard for me too but we can do this," Steve told her sincerely, his eyes full of promise. "I love you, you know that?"

"I love you too, Steve," Emma said softly and she wished she had told him that more times in the past. Emma always regretted not telling Steve how she felt from the moment she felt it. She had always been scared of her emotions and how vulnerable they made her. Emma realized now that it was a stupid reason not to tell someone how much you care about them and how much that same person changed your life.

"Besides…someone has to take care of Bucky while I'm gone," Steve said as he then grinned at Bucky who playfully rolled his eyes as he approached the two.

"Punk," Bucky said teasingly.

"Jerk," Steve retorted and the two then gave each other a very manly hug. Emma smiled adoringly at the two men.

She wasn't going to lie.

Despite how much she teased Steve about he and her father experimenting back in the day, she kind of wished they were really a thing. Deep down, she just wanted the normal family she used to have before Hydra came along and murdered her parents. She knew it was a terrible thing to think but sometimes Emma wished that her parents weren't her parents and that it was just her, Steve, and her father from the beginning.

It's not that Emma was rooting for Steve and her father to just randomly decide they weren't straight and fall in love with each other because people couldn't just change their sexual orientations at will. It was more because she was selfish and an easier solution was that rather than them both falling in love with some really nice girls before starting their own separate families and leaving Emma behind in the dust. She wanted all three of them to be a family forever but it was probably just wishful thinking.

"Don't worry about me, Steve," Bucky told him, knowing Steve all too well. "I'll be alright here. Go off and do your saving the world thing. Don't worry about us."

"There used to be a time when that was your thing too," Steve told his old friend and Bucky shrugged before he wrapped his arm around Emma. Emma leaned into her father's touch, resting her head against his shoulder. For once, Steve didn't feel guilty about leaving her alone.

"I think I'm finally settling down," Bucky told him as he playfully pulled Emma closer to him, causing her to laugh at him. "I'm just going to spend some time with my old lady."

"Who are you calling old lady? You're a hundred years old," Emma retorted and Bucky chuckled.

Steve smiled in amusement at the two.

He realized that all those years ago when Bucky sent him the flashdrive about Emma that Bucky did it because he and Emma needed each other. Now the tables had turned and Steve was going to leave because he knew Emma and Bucky needed each other right now. Steve knew how hard it must've been for Bucky to so selflessly let her go when he could've stormed that Hydra base and taken her for himself. Instead, Bucky did what was best for Emma even if it hurt him in the process.

This was why Steve had to leave.

They needed each other and they needed time together. This was the only way the both of them could overcome their past and allow themselves to heal. They were the only two people in the world that could understand what the other was going through. Steve didn't want to get in the way of that.

This would be good for the both of them in the end.

He was positive of that.

"Well, just take care of each other and please behave," Steve said but he looked more towards Emma at the last part of his sentence. "Emma, I don't want you giving Tony too much of a hard time."

She rolled her eyes but smiled at him nonetheless.

"Me? I don't know what you're talking about, Steve. Tony and I are besties," Emma said sarcastically and Steve chuckled before shaking his head at her.

"Just be on your best behavior," Steve told her although he wasn't as worried as last time. Maybe it was because she had Bucky and Peter this time around. Those two would keep her from getting into too much trouble. "And do me a favor and please don't grow up too much while I'm gone."

"Well, don't stay away too long and I won't."

Steve just gave her a small smile before walking the short distance, embracing her one last time before he left. He held her closely in his arms, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to live in the moment. They stood there for a couple minutes and Emma thought that he almost wasn't going to let her go. It wasn't until Natasha started announcing that it was time to leave that Steve finally let her go but not before pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead. Emma's eyes brimmed with tears as he cupped her face in his hands, his own eyes filled with tears as he looked down at her.

"You're my best girl. That'll never change," Steve told her, his voice barely a whisper as he called her the same name he used to call her grandmother once upon a time. Bucky smiled warmly at the grandfather and granddaughter pair.

"So this is goodbye then," Emma said, trying to keep the sorrow and pain out of her voice. Steve gave her a small smile.

"Just for now," Steve promised before Natasha called for him. He was the leader so, of course, he had to be the first to go. It was just like him to be the leader. That was the difference between Emma and Steve. He was a natural born leader yet Emma was…not.

"I have to go," Steve told her, looking sorry that he had to leave but Emma just gave him an encouraging smile.

"Go then…and please be careful," Emma made him promise and Steve smiled one last time at her before nodding.

"I will. Take care of your father," Steve said to her and it was perhaps the first time Steve had ever referred to Bucky as Emma's father. It was something that shocked both Emma and Bucky but neither of them said anything.

"I promise," Emma said despite her shock and Steve gave her one last long look, wanting to memorize the way she looked in that moment. He prayed to god that she didn't look any older the next time he saw her. Steve didn't think he could take it if she did.

After getting his last look at her, Steve reluctantly turned around to leave because he knew he would stand there all night and day looking at her if he didn't leave right then. Steve loved her more than anything. She was his legacy and Steve couldn't be prouder although he knew better than to tell her that in a time when Steve knew she wouldn't believe him or think herself worthy of his proudness.

There would come a day she would believe him and that would be the day he would tell her.

Emma watched him leave silently, tears falling down her face. Her father held her close to him as they watched Steve leave. Steve didn't say goodbye to Bucky but he didn't need to. They said many goodbyes in the past and they knew where each other stood. However, Steve did say a quick goodbye to Peter, smiling at the boy kindly before he continued on his way. Peter watched him go, feeling sad that he didn't get to spend more time getting to know Steve before the accords split everyone apart again.

Rhodey wished Steve and Sam goodbye as all the other Avengers started their departure. Vision and Wanda were caught in a very intimate goodbye, theirs hands interlocked as they spoke in low whispers with a regretful look in their eyes. Natasha looked incredibly uncomfortable as Darcy embraced her in a tight hug while Jane struggled to get the hysterical woman off the former assassin. Pepper kindly bid T'Challa, Okoye, and Shuri goodbye and welcomed them back at the compound any time.

Tony was noticeably missing from the landing pad but mostly because everything was already said between himself and Steve. The billionaire was obviously annoyed that Steve wouldn't sign the accords. Not even for Emma but what he didn't know was that Emma actually begged Steve not to sign. Emma suspected that Tony would yell at her and question why she would do something so stupid but without understanding the fact that she hated the accords. Not for the politics but for what they did by tearing her family apart.

Steve Rogers didn't look back as he left but Emma understood why he didn't. It was because if he did then he wouldn't be able to leave. Not ever. So she just stared at his back as he walked up the ramp of the Quinjet and disappeared inside.

Sam gazed across the landing pad as he stood on the ramp, his eyes landing on Emma to which he offered her a kind smile and a wave. Emma attempted to smile back because she had always liked Sam but the smile probably looked weak.

She was in too much of an emotional state at the moment to properly smile.

The man's gaze then fell to Bucky and his smile immediately faded. He then proceeded to flip Bucky off and Bucky rolled his eyes at his childishness.

"I really hate that guy," Bucky grumbled and Emma laughed. It was just the thing she needed to distract herself from the sadness of saying goodbye to her grandfather yet again.

The ongoing catfight between her father and Sam was a nice distraction.

Emma didn't respond but watched quietly as the rest of the Avengers boarded the Quinjet and the remaining Wakandans boarded their own aircraft. It felt distinctly emptier on the landing pad as the heroes disappeared in their respective aircrafts. Almost like it felt before they came but still different because her father was with her this time.

Bucky's arm remained wrapped around Emma as he sensed the sadness coming off her in waves because he knew her better than anyone. Even if she tried to hide it and bury it within herself, Bucky always knew.

Emma let her father hold her close and actually felt comfort as the door to the Quinjet closed. It only took a moment before the Quinjet began to lift off. Peter somehow found his way back to Emma but this time Bucky didn't glare at him or even frown. Granted, Bucky didn't acknowledge him in the least but it was still progress in his mind.

"We'll be okay, Emma," He told her, not caring if the boy was there or not. This was his time with Emma now. What he always dreamed of during his life on the run. It was all leading up to this. "We're together now like what I always promised would happen."

"I'm glad you're here, Papa," Emma said softly as they watched the Quinjet take off. "Please don't ever leave me again."

Bucky smiled as he tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, his gaze full of affection as he looked at her. Peter watched the two curiously and realized just how much Bucky Barnes loved Emma Rogers. He had always known but it was a bit different watching the man who stared at him so suspiciously as he looked at Emma with those same eyes except there was no suspicion in his gaze when he looked at Emma.

Just love.

For that, Peter decided that he would always protect Bucky Barnes with his life. He would protect him because Emma loved him and Bucky loved her. That was enough for him. Even if the man hated his guts and thought he wasn't good enough for Emma, Peter would still protect him. He was Emma's family so he was also Peter's family now too.

Steve as well for that matter.

"I'll never leave," Bucky promised her. "You're stuck with me forever."

"That's all I ever wanted," Emma said quietly and it probably the most truthful statement she had ever made. Ever since she was a little girl, all she dreamed about was the two of them escaping Hydra so that they could live their lives together forever.

Now it was finally coming true.

Peter reached over and entwined his hand with Emma's, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. She glanced over at him and smiled, thankful for his support and devotion to her. Peter just smiled back before all three of them returned their attention to the Quinjet as it ascended into the air.

Never did Emma ever think that she could have her father and Peter in her life at the same time. It always seemed like a pipe dream and sure, Steve had to leave again but it wouldn't be forever. Times would change and then they would all be together.

A happily ever after Emma always thought she didn't deserve.

But maybe happily ever after's did exist, after all.

Her father and Peter gave her that hope.

The Quinjet then disappeared into the night sky and just like they were gone. A million thoughts raced through Emma's head but this time she didn't feel sad at Steve leaving. She just felt excited to see him again. It was one of the few times she ever felt hopeful and Emma liked the feeling. The dark cloud that had been looming over her head for most of her life had been gone for around a week now.

There would be nothing but clear blue skies from here on out.

---

Author's Note: This is a response to all my guest reviewers I obviously can't PM.

GIJose: Glad you liked the chapter. I always love including father-son moments between Tony and Peter. There will definitely be more of those to come in the sequel. I don't think Bucky seriously hates Peter but it's more because Peter's dating Emma. I imagine any dad would be pissed if he walked in on someone in bed with their daughter like Bucky did a few chapters ago. He obviously doesn't trust Peter that much but deep down he knows that Peter would protect Emma with his life because he already did. This is why Bucky will tolerate him but it doesn't mean that he has to love him like Steve does. I think they're dynamic is actually going to be hilarious and we'll see more of that dynamic in the sequel.

I saw the video of those Tom Holland fans being rude to Sebastian and Anthony. It really annoyed me because I really wanted to go to the comic con last year but I couldn't so it was infuriating to see those girls standing up there being rude and ungrateful that they were fortunate enough to go. By the way, I'm also so annoyed at fans who go up there and instead of asking a legitimate question, they ask one of the actors to say hi to their friend on their phone. That's such a waste of time and I don't know why people do that. I cringe every time I see someone do that. I really hope they get rid of the questions portion of the panel because most of those people just ruin it for everyone else and I'd rather have the interviewer ask them real questions than listen to some teenager tell Chris Evans to say hi to their friend Ashley. I warned my mom about that because I bought her a ticket to come with me since she really loves Josh Brolin and Chris Evans. You should've seen the look on her face when I told her that Josh Brolin and Chris Evans were going to be there. I'm excited for Chris and Josh Brolin too but I'm also excited for Zoe Saldana, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner...and okay, I'm excited for everyone that will be there. This is way better than a concert in my eyes. This is several hours of Marvel so it's basically heaven for me.

I love Elle Fanning too by the way. I'm not really that interested in fashion but I always love scrolling through pictures of Elle Fanning in all her fashion choices. I'm obsessed with her style which I don't think there's a name for other than just Elle Fanning.

No problem. I'm just glad I can introduce more people to the genius of that tv show. Usually I'm not a fan of the whole vampire romance thing but that show doesn't feel as juvenile as Vampire Diaries or Twilight felt to me. I remember being obsessed with Twilight and Vampire Diaries when I was in middle school but eventually I grew out of it but A Discovery of Witches feels more adult which I love.

Montefroggoat: I'm glad you liked the chapter. Um...I still couldn't get to the link you sent. I'm not sure if you're the same person who recently made an account and sent me some fanart. I thought that might've been you but I'm not sure. The only other way I can think of to send me the fanart is through Tumblr which some readers of the story have been doing recently. Other than that, I don't really know.

anonanon: Well, I couldn't have Emma lose both Steve and Bucky again so I came up with a way to make Bucky stay. I know it's not totally realistic but I made it as realistic and logical as possible. I mean, it makes sense to me that maybe Ross and the UN would be willing to make a compromise in giving Bucky a lesser sentence in order for them to have eyes and ears on him at all time. I thought about doing a trial but it just wouldn't work for either this story or the sequel and we've already seen so many Winter Soldier trial fics that I didn't feel that it was necessary. It kind of makes sense to me that Bucky might get offered a plea deal so that the UN could keep everything hush hush and not draw up anymore controversy. Bucky's not getting away scot-free. He's giving up privacy for the rest of his life by doing this and the accords will prohibit him from becoming an Avenger. Turning himself in means allowing his life to be invaded by strangers for the rest of his existence which is probably a nightmare for him but Bucky's willing to do it for Emma. That's probably way more than you ever asked for but I feel a need to explain some things after everything that happened in this chapter. Especially since Bucky stayed and Steve left.

Guest: I'm not sure if I'm interested in writing a fic in which Emma and all the canon characters watch the movies. I've seen so many of those fics done in every single fandom that I don't know if I would want to do that. It's a funny idea but I already have so many AU ideas that I don't think I can fit yet another one on my to-do list. I'm really sorry but thanks for leaving a review.