Chapter Song: Wild One by Sia ft. Flo Rida (I always imagined a little bit of a montage moment of the cute field trip portion of the chapter with this song).

headcanon of the chapter is that Jack is a huge Spice Girls fanboy and has been crossing his fingers for their reunion tour since the rumors first started popping up about it. He's been a Spooky Spice Stan since day one and never stopped.

Danielle wasn't a sound sleeper by all means of the words, and she most definitely wasn't a morning person either. So when she was woken up by a loud beeping noise coming from a few feet away, it was safe to say she was a bit... unsettled.

"Wha happened?!" She shouted as she shot straight up out of the curled up sleeping position she'd been in moments before. Wide awake, she immediately shielded her eyes from the bright light of the sun creeping in through the terrace windows that were only partially covered by her white curtains. "'bright," she mumbled in complaint as she rubbed her eyes with her knuckles.

After a failed attempt at waking up, she realized the beeping had stopped and glanced over to where it was coming from. There, sitting on the floor (wearing the Spider-Man mask), was Ned. His arm was extended out as he held up the web-shooter which still displayed the holographic map. A red dot beeping on said map reminded Danielle about why Ned was there in her room and what they had been doing the night before.

"They stopped," the teenage boy proclaimed as he held up the map.

"Where?" Danielle asked, biting back a yawn. She was stopped from getting her answer when something fell from the ceiling right in front of her face in the form of a dangling Peter. "Oh my God!" Danielle gasped, jumping back slightly, clutching a hand to her chest as she tried to steady her breathing.

"Sorry," Peter grimaced as he turned around to face her, his feet still stuck to the roof.

"If we're going to work together, you really need to warn me each time you plan on coming down from there," she said once her breathing was back to normal and they both turned back to the holographic map at hand. "So, where are they stopped?"

Ned held up the map for the pair to see. Peter narrowed his eyes at the model. "Maryland?" He asked, clearly confused.

"What's there?" Ned wondered aloud.

Danielle shrugged. "Who knows?"

"An evil lair?" Peter suggested.

"They have a lair?" Ned asked, perplexed.

Peter gave his friend a deadpan look as he smiled smugly. "Dude. A gang with alien guns run by a guy with wings. Yeah, they have a lair."

Danielle stood up from the bed then, stretching her back after the oddly uncomfortable position she'd laid in. "I doubt they actually call it a lair. It's probably their base of operations or something."

"You're ruining the badass moment, Elle," Ned complained. Danielle merely smiled and shook her head as she made her way over to her closet and plucked out a sheer grey cardigan, throwing it on before walking back to where the boys were. "So, how are you guys gonna get there if it's, like, 300 miles away?" He asked, posing a good question for the pair of enhanced teens in front of him.

Danielle took a seat at the edge of the bed, the cardigan tightening around her as she exhaled. She pursed her lips and thought about it. "Good question," she murmured.

"Well, it's not too far from D.C.," Peter piped up, a suggestive smile on his face as he turned to face something behind Danielle. When Ned and the brunette turned too follow his gaze, they caught sight of Danielle's open closet door, her yellow Decathlon blazer staring back at them.

It took Danielle longer than it should have to piece together what Peter was suggesting, but when she finally did, her eyes went as wide as saucers. "Wait," she spun back around to face him. "Are you actually thinking about sneaking away during the trip to stop these guys?"

Peter shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, it's the only good plan we have. Using Decathlon as a way to get there, then we sneak out the night before the competition, take down these guys, and get back to the hotel and to the competition before anyone knows we're gone. Then we all go home," he explained as he fell back to his feet on the solid ground, standing before Ned and Danielle.

"Seems like a pretty solid plan," Ned nodded in agreement.

"But what if the rest of the team sees Spider-Man and Eris on the news in D.C. at the same time we are?" Danielle prompts the boys. "They'll put it together when two New York vigilantes are in D.C. the same time their team is there and two of their members are missing. We can't take that chance."

Peter frowns, as does Ned. "Well... What do we do then?" Ned asked.

"I... I don't know," Danielle admitted, stumped. "We could wait them out. They're bound to return to New York eventually."

"But we don't know that, Elle," Peter insists. "They could be gone forever. After the night at the party, they could've tucked tail and left for good. And if we just let them go, they won't just stop in Maryland. They'll keep going and going until they're too far for us to reach anymore." Danielle frowns. She knows he makes a good point, but she's still a bit defiant. If there is even a small chance the team sees them there, they're made. She can't let that happen. She can't.

But, Danielle also knows Peter is right. There's no guarantee the flying guy and his crew are going to come back to New York. If this really is the only shot to get them, they had to take it and they had to take it now.

"Come on, Elle," Peter's voice pushes her further towards his plan.

Eventually, the brunette glances at the clock on her nightstand and notes the time. She glances back at Ned and Peter and mumbles, "You should probably get home then. The bus for D.C. leaves in a few hours." She looks Peter in the eye as he gives her a knowing smile. "Wouldn't want to miss it," she adds jokingly.

"So, you have everything, right?"

Danielle smiled knowingly as she shook her head. "Yes, Liz. I'm pretty sure I've got everything packed," she assured her friend on the other line of her phone call. The cell pressed between her cheek and shoulder as she continued to throw all sorts of 'essentials' into her duffel bag.

"Positive?" Liz pressed.

The brunette couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head in amusement as she threw in her bag of toiletries, shoving them into the duffel beside her pajamas. "Double positive," she replied, jokingly.

"Triple check...?" The sheepish voice on the end of the line answered cheekily.

Danielle giggled as she dug back into her bag and began listing off all the things she had packed. "Two pairs of pajamas, four different outfits, three pairs of shoes, shampoo, conditioner, a brush, charger, my toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, extra cash, and..." Danielle trailed off as her fingers brushed past her wallet where two navy-blue metal squares sat at the very bottom of her duffel bag. A twinge of guilt filled the pit of Danielle's stomach as her thoughts traveled back to the countless times the brunette had had to ditch Liz and all her other friends for something Eris-related. But, this was Nationals. Was now really the time to pull something like that again?

"Ellie?" Liz's voice abruptly cut off Danielle's train of thought.

"Sorry," the enhanced teenager apologized as she shoved the unanswered questions and buried feelings aside. "I thought I was forgetting something. Then I realized my phone is in my hand," she joked. She heard Liz laugh, and she tried to laugh along, but the smile didn't reach up to her eyes as she zipped her duffel bag up again, her suit and mask still inside.

"Well, the bus leaves in about an hour. Half of the team is already here. So, if you plan on joining us in DC, I'd suggest you start heading this way now before we leave you."

Danielle smiled knowingly at the joking undertone in Liz's voice. "I'm the best history buff you have on the team. You need me," she retorted smugly.

"I wouldn't be so sure of yourself. Sally can always cover for you," came the equally smug response.

"Fine," Danielle said simply.

"Fine."

There was a moment of silence before both girls broke down laughing, their joking falling apart.

"I'll see you at school, Liz," Danielle said once her laughter had subsided.

"Don't be late!" The line went dead. As Liz's contact picture faded away on her phone screen, Danielle had a brief thought to check her messages. She clicked onto her contacts, scrolled down a few lines and clicked.

The Electric Man, Jack-san

No new messages.

Danielle sighed. Of course not.

After that, Danielle turned off her phone and shoved it into her back pocket. She tried to push the feelings of disappointment down in her gut as she pulled her yellow blazer on over her Florence + the Machines t-shirt, the sleeves dangling off her wrists due to it being three sizes too big for her. Once she was ready to go, the brunette yanked the duffel from off her bed and over her shoulder, casting one last glance around the large empty Penthouse before leaving out through the elevator doors.

After three train trips across town, a trip to the drug store down the block from the charred remains of Delmar's, and a quick jog back up to the school, Danielle finally made it to where the majority of the team waited outside by the bus. Abe was the first to notice her arrival.

"Danielle!" He called as he waved across the street from her, a few of her other teammates turning to greet her as well.

Danielle smiled and waved back, readjusting the strap on her shoulder as she approached. "Hey," she greeted the group.

"'Hey' yourself," Michelle deadpanned. Danielle furrowed her eyebrows, wondering if she had done something to upset her. But, then a rare smile crossed her friend's features, showing the brunette that she was just screwing with her. Danielle smiled in response.

A soft, serene feeling filled Danielle; a break from the anxious bubbling feeling always settling in her stomach these days. But, it was short lived when a familiar voice broke through the cracks of Danielle's calmness. "What's up, West?"

Danielle fought the urge to roll her eyes as none other than Flash Thompson approached through the crowd of kids in yellow jackets. He brandished his usual cocky grin as he stared down his nose at her. She shifted uncomfortably at how close he was and took a step back, her rear hitting the side of the bus, startling her.

"You ready for this trip to DC?" He asked her, not seeing the obvious discomfort and annoyance written on her face. "I mean, since Parker's not showing up, maybe we could hang out more. I hear there're dope mini-bars at the hotel we're staying at-"

Before either Danielle or Michelle could cut Flash off from his twisted fantasy that Danielle would ever want to 'hang out' with him, Abe called out, "Hey, it's Peter!"

Danielle felt herself let out a sigh of relief as she peeked past Flash to see that, sure enough, Peter had showed up for the trip. He was dressed in his casual clothes with a backpack slung over his shoulder that, without a doubt, Danielle knew he was keeping his suit. "Hey, guys," he greeted the group. His eyes meeting Danielle's in a knowing look for a brief moment.

"Peter?" Liz perked up from where she stood talking to Cindy near the front of the bus.

Peter smiled back at her awkwardly. "Yeah. I was hoping maybe I could rejoin the team?"

Before anyone could answer with the obvious answer, Flash abruptly pushed through the sea of yellow jackets to stare down at Peter as he angrily rebutted, "No. No way. You can't just quit on us, stroll up, and be welcomed back by everybody."

Mr. Harrington then chose that exact moment in time to step out from the bus, look at the teenager before him, and say, "Hey, welcome back, Peter." Danielle snorted behind her hand at the ironic interaction. She watched as Mr. Harrington turned to the snobby kid next to Peter and said, "Flash, you're back to first alternate."

"What?" Flash guffawed.

"He's taking your place," Abe explains for him. Danielle giggles and watches as Peter tries to stifle his own smile from beside Flash.

"Excuse me, can we go already? 'Cause I was hoping to get in some light protesting in front of one of the embassies before dinner, so..." Michelle speaks up from beside Danielle, grabbing everyone's attention. Danielle shakes her head, inwardly recognizing the fact that of course Michelle Jones would have alternate plans for their trip to DC. Then again, she wasn't the only one.

At Michelle's outburst, Mr. Harrington looked a bit unsettled at first, but shrugged it off as he spoke, "Protesting is... patriotic... Let's get on the bus."

The group of kids all happily chatted amongst themselves as they filed in line to get onto the bus. As Danielle walked one foot in front of the other along side her team, she turned to Michelle. "What embassy are you protesting in front of?" She asked curiously.

"I'm actually going to protest in front of the Captain America statue by the National Mall. I just told Harrington about the embassy so he would let me go," Michelle explained.

Danielle's eyebrows furrowed as the pair inched closer to the bus entrance. "Why the Captain America statue?"

"There's an anti-Sokovia Accords rally going on there this weekend to help support Captain Rogers and the other Rogue Avengers," she stated before climbing onto the bus, Danielle quick to follow.

"So, you don't support the Accords?" She asked her friend as they both took a seat near the middle of the bus. Michelle scooting near the window as Danielle pushed in beside her.

Michelle shook her head. "Nope," she stated, popping her 'p'. "It's basically just some lame scapegoat to try and blame the people that try to protect us for the things that go wrong on this planet. Not to mention, it's just a bunch of double standards. I mean, where are all the other world powers' accountability? America, Great Britain, France, Spain, Russia, China? Who do they go to for accountability? No one," Michelle stated, Danielle hanging on to every word.

"Plus, I don't think it's fair to force enhanced individuals to basically weaponize themselves for the Accords Commitee. The Committee could have a hidden agenda. What happens if a crisis is going on in a country the Commitee doesn't support and they refuse to send the Avengers? And what happens if there is no crisis and the Commitee just sends them to do their own bidding?"

Danielle smiles as she listens intently to her friend. She'd never really gotten to hear what other people's perspectives were on the Accords. Aside from the usual banter on the news channels, but those were always too headache-inducing for Danielle to listen to. There was a podcast Jack had once listened to with her that brought up a few good and bad points to the Accords. But, for some odd reason, hearing Michelle talk badly about the Accords really made Danielle believe that they were wrong. It was almost as if she had gotten the seal of approval from her friend and it made her feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

"Have fun protesting then," Danielle told her.

An awkward moment of silence passed between the pair. Danielle considered maybe moving seats or just taking her headphones from out of the duffel that sat by her feet and tuning out the loud shouting from the rest of the bus as it lurched through the streets of Queens. But, Michelle surprised her when she turned hesitantly to the brunette beside her and asked in a soft, tentative voice, "Do you... maybe want to come with?"

Danielle turned to Michelle with a look of surprise on her face. "To protest? With you?"

Michelle immediately began to shake her head reverently. "Nevermind. It's cool if you don't want to. I get it-"

"No!" Danielle almost shouted. "No. I... Yeah. I would love to go protesting with you. It sounds fun." The brunette watched as a genuine smile graced Michelle's face. Danielle couldn't help but smile back. "So, like... Do we have to make signs, or...?"

"Oh, no. They'll have signs there for us. I know a few of the people who are putting together the rally. We're mutual friends on chat rooms and stuff," Michelle explained.

"There are chat rooms for protesting?"

"There are chat rooms for serial killer fanatics. Of course there are chat rooms for political protesting." The pair chuckled at the comparison and went right back to planning their trip out on DC.

The bus ride out to Washington remained this way for the majority of the time. Liz and Mr. Harrington were up front quizzing the team on a few run downs before the competition the next day, while Michelle and Danielle plotted their protesting day out– and possibly sight-seeing tour of a few other tourist attractions to see in the Nation's Capitol.

"What about the Smithsonian?" Danielle suggested as the pair looked on at a pamphlet Michelle had brought along for the trip (leave it to her).

Michelle pursed her lips together as she thought it over. "Maybe. I heard they had a cool tribute to Captain America there. I also want to visit the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality Monument, though," she mused.

"Ooh, what about the Lincoln Memorial?"

"Or the MLK Memorial."

"The Vietnam Veterans Memorial."

"The Washington Monument."

"Actually, that was built by slaves. I don't really want to take pride or celebrate something like that," Michelle deadpanned.

"Oh," Danielle blinked in surprise at that fun fact. "Okay then. What about the World War 2 Memorial?"

The girls went on this way; bouncing ideas off of each other as they both grew more excited as their destination got closer. Danielle was so caught up in building her and Michelle's itinerary, she hadn't noticed Peter rushing down the aisle of seats with his phone pressed against his ear. That was until his hand latched onto her arm and he yanked her out of her seat and down the aisle along with him. "Oh!" She gasped as she just went along with it, eventually stopping and sitting in the seat behind Ned in the back, her assailant beside her still on the phone.

Danielle turned to look at him incredulously. "What the-" Peter abruptly put a finger over his mouthbefore pointing at the phone. Confused, Danielle furrowed her eyebrows and mouthed, "Who is it?"

Briefly, Peter put a hand on his phone and whispered, "Happy. Tracker."

It clicked in the brunette's head now that he was on the phone with Happy and that he was tracking us. Danielle figured the Stark Industries head of security probably got an alert when the tracker on Peter's suit got too far from New York. Danielle could scoff at the situation. They were tracking bad guys and were being tracked by the people who told them to stay away from the bad guys. Huh.

Peter had put his phone back to his ear at this point as he replied to the unheard Happy on the other line, "Uh, yeah– no, it's just a school trip. It's, uh, it's nothing." Danielle watched Peter's facial expression as she waited intently for Happy's answer. And from the looks of Peter's panicked face, it wasn't going well.

Danielle was quick to take hold of the situation. She abruptly snatched the phone from Peter's hand and brought it up to her ear. "Happy. Hi. It's Danielle," she cut into the conversation.

"Kid?" Happy guffawed on the other line. "What the hell are you doing with the spider punk in DC? I didn't get a notification that you'd even left New York."

"I, uh, I left my suit back at the Penthouse," she lied, wincing when Peter threw her a knowing stare.

"Still doesn't explain what you're doing with the other kid. How do you two know each other? Did Tony finally introduce you? I told him that was a bad idea. I mean, just the trouble you get in by yourself. Now I got two enhanced kids jumping off the walls that I gotta deal with?!"

Danielle pulled the phone from her ear as she cringed from the sound of his shouting. She cleared her throat and brought it back so she could speak again. "Uh, actually, Happy, we've been going to school together for a year now and have been kind of... fighting crime together for a few weeks now," Danielle explained, careful to whisper the last part so that no prying ears could hear.

Both teens waited patiently for his response from the news, but the other line remained silent. Both enhanced kids looked at each other, questioning whether or not Happy had hung up on them or just had a stroke from the news. By the time thirty seconds had gone by without a response, they were beginning to think it was the latter.

"H-Happy?" Danielle called into the phone timidly.

Finally, there was a sign of life. "... How long has Tony known about this?"

"Um, a week?"

"A week?! A. Week." Danielle winced from the sound again. "And he didn't tell me? You know what? From now on, something happens with you two, it comes through me first. Understood?"

"... yes," Danielle mumbled, too afraid to answer any differently in fear of the consequences of having to face an angry Happy.

"Pass that along to Spider Boy, too."

Peter, who had heard every word with his enhanced hearing, scrunched his face up at the name. He looked like he wanted to say something, but kept quiet in the end. "Okay," Danielle simply replied, trying to get back to the problem at hand. "So, is it okay that we go on this trip then?"

"It's just a school trip to DC," Peter spoke up from beside her into the phone mic. "It's no big deal."

"Hey, hey. I'll decide if it's no big deal," Happy was scolded. Both Danielle and Peter exchanged confused and expectant looks as they anxiously awaited his answer. There was a pregnant pause before Happy eventually spoke again with the answer. "Sounds like it's no big deal. But remember, I'm watching you."

"Yup. Bye!" Danielle enthusiastically called back as she quickly hung up on the security guard before he decided to change his kind and send either Tony or her brother to come hunt them down. Once the call had ended and the phone was handed back to Peter, both enhanced kids exhaled a sigh of relief at the bullet they had just dodged.

"Okay," Peter said firmly as he got back on track with their plan. "First things first, we take the tracker out of my suit."

Danielle nodded and mumbled a numb agreement.

Peter glanced up at her curiously and wondered aloud, "How'd you get yours out of your suit anyway?"

Danielle grimaced at the embarassing memory of having to try and find the tiny tracker inside her suit's mask and giving up after a few hours of useless searching. "Remember when I had first tried tracking you down?" Peter wordlessly nodded. "Well, my brother may have given me an alternative from using your tracker and instead told me that I could just use my tracker to track your suit. And, at first, I couldn't find it and ended up just using a program he sent me. But, I got bored one day and ended up pulling it out," she explained with an innocent shrug. "I didn't like the idea of being tracked."

"Well, neither do I," Peter retorted in an offended voice.

Danielle winced. "Sorry," she apologized without sounding the least bit apologetic. Luck former, Peter found it more amusing than he did agitating and she even caught him smirking as he turned away to glance out the window beside him. The brunette took the time to glance out the glass as well, catching sight of the Potomac river as they entered DC city limits. It was beautiful.

The trees lining the river that reflected the baby blue sky as if it were a mirror sent shivers down the teen's spine. It was all so natural and... alive. But, in the distance, something else caught her eye. In the distance just past the elegant river was a large building.

There was nothing too special about the piece of architecture. It was a pale beige, didn't have an alarming amount of stories, and wasn't too complex. But the thing that caught the brunette's eye (or anyone's eye that passed by, really) was the enormous helicarrier lodged into the side of the building with a large symbol on the side that had an eagle on it, labeled SHIELD. But, Danielle knew better than to know who those helicarriers were really run by and exactly why that piece of machinery was still stuck in the side of the old SHIELD headquarters. A much different shiver travelled down Danielle's spine.

"Woah," Peter muttered in awe as he too examined the crashed helicarrier in the building.

"That's a lot of wreckage..." Danielle murmured, mostly to herself. Her body went frigid at the thought of Steve, Nat, Sam, and Sharon being apart of the fight that caused all of the mess she was seeing even today nearly 3 years later.

Peter nodded in agreement, his eyes still glued to the mess as he wondered aloud, "Where does all this stuff go?"

"Damage Control," a new voice spoke up from behind them, causing Danielle to jump a bit. When she turned to see who it was, she should've known it to be none other than Michelle who was now standing in the middle of the walkway, her elbow propped on the seat in front of them. "They're still cleaning up from when Captain America trashed all those sky carrier things for no reason," she muttered, deadpan as usual.

"I'm pretty sure Cap was just trying to save us from tyranny," Ned interjected from where he sat in the seat in front of Danielle in Peter.

"That's what they want you to think," Michelle muttered in a very suspect manner that made Danielle furrow her eyebrows. She figured it would be a question to ask another time about what she thought actually went down. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm taking her back now, Parker," the curly-haired teen stated as she grabbed Danielle's wrist and pulled her up from her seat.

Peter and Danielle both looked equally confused as Michelle began to usher her away back down the aisle. "Wait, what? Why?" Peter questioned her frantically.

Michelle turned back to him with a deadly glare that made him physically shrink back into his chair. "Well, before you stole her away, I was actually trying to plan a trip with my friend." Danielle tried not to let it show how much hearing the words 'my friend' affected her, but a small smile peeked out in the end.

Meanwhile, Ned grinned and raised a skeptical eyebrow as he replied, "I thought you said you didn't have any friends."

Michelle stiffened, caught like a deer in headlights. It lasted for a split second before she narrowed her eyes at Peter's best friend. "Shut up."

When the bus of excited teenagers finally arrived at the hotel they would be staying at, everyone was ready to spread out and run their seperate ways. Danielle could already hear Abe scheming with Charles about raiding one of the mini-bars, while Cindy and Sally talked about hitting up the Smithsoneum after some frozen yogurt. All the while, Flash was convinced the National Mall was an actual place to shop. Danielle couldn't help but snort and laugh with Michelle about that one.

"Alright, kids, stay together while I get the keys to your rooms... Please," Mr. Harrington practically begged his rowdy group of teenagers as they left the comforts of the bus and made their way into the enormous lobby of the hotel. Desperation was clear in his eyes as he ran a hand through his already ruffled (and grey-ing) hair. "I don't need to lose another one of you on a class trip... Not again." All the kids furrowed their eyebrows at their teacher's haunting words, but before anyone could ask him anything, he hurried off to the front desk, leaving them to their own devices for the time being.

This resulted in the immediate pairing off of kids to pick their roommates. Sally and Abe were already linking arms, while Flash hooked an arm around Charles' neck. "I call top bunk, punk," he exclaimed as he dug his knuckles into Charles' hair.

Ned and Peter seemed to already be scheming away in the back of the group, making it clear who they were bunking with. But, when Danielle glanced around to find Michelle, a new problem made itself clear as Liz approached. "Hey, Ellie. Did you wanna share a room with me? My mom gave me extra money for room service and I thought maybe we could spend the night watching Disney movies and eating overpriced hotel food in those awesome robes they always have in the movies." Liz laughed and Danielle couldn't help but laugh with her. The offer sounded fun and the brunette was tempted to take her up on it.

That was, until, someone else caught her eye standing by herself at the side of the group. Though, Michelle tried to make it seem as if she weren't paying attention to the interaction between Danielle and Liz, the teen could tell from the weary glances she kept making in their direction that she was hanging on every word, wondering if the newest 'friend' she'd just officially made was going to leave her yet again for someone more popular and fun and outgoing like Liz Allen.

Danielle took a deep breath and turned back to Liz. It was always so easy to just give into Liz's promises and offers. Since the beginning, Danielle had always let her talk her into lying to her parental figures, going to parties, drinking alcohol, joining clubs, going out, skipping class. She had been so used to it, she'd never once remembered ever saying no unless it had something to do with her secret lifestyle. But, this was a new year, and though Danielle adored the heck out of Liz, she didn't want to always be known as Liz Allen's accomplice.

"I would love to," Danielle began. "But, I promised Michelle her and I would go sightseeing together and I didn't want to have to bother you with coming back late at night when you'll probably be asleep..." she rambled a bit before trailing off. "Sorry," she ended with a grimace.

Liz, thankfully, took it like a pro. If she was hurt by the decline, she didn't show it in the least. Instead, she beamed and shrugged. "It's fine. I'll just pair up with Cindy," she exclaimed. "Have fun sightseeing." And with that, she had skipped off to go claim her new bunk mate, leaving Danielle in the dust.

Hmm, the enhanced teen thought to herself, well that was easy.

"So-"

"Crap!" Danielle gasped and jumped at the close proximity of the voice beside her. "Do you always have to sneak up on me?" She asked her assailant after she had caught her breath again.

"No... but it is kind of funny watching you flip out," Michelle replied with a small smile playing at her lips. Danielle couldn't help but smile back. "So, we're sharing a room?"

"I guess," Danielle shrugged.

Michelle frowned a bit as she explained, "I don't have extra money for room service."

Danielle beamed as she pulled out a small black matte card from the back of her jeans. "I do," she proclaimed with a mischievous smile on her face.

Michelle smirked at the shorter girl's antics and nodded in approval. "Cool."

After collecting the card keys for their rooms, all the pairs went off in their separate directions. A few of the boys made a race out of getting to their rooms first as Flash, Charles, and Abe raced to the nearest set of stairs, while the girls, Ned, and Peter all walked to the two elevators. When they got up to their floors, they split up to their collective rooms on the same floor. As Michelle and Danielle walked side by side to their room, Danielle was stopped by a tap on her shoulder and someone behind her hissing, "Psst!"

When the brunette spun around, she saw it had only been Peter trying to get her attention from behind a fake fern that lined the railings of the hallway, looking down onto the lobby below. They exchanged a knowing glance that told her that this was about the secret reason they were really on this trip. She got the hint and quickly turned back to Michelle and explained, "I'll catch up." Michelle didn't question her further and just took the key card and kept walking.

Danielle took the miracle without question and walked back to where Peter was waiting anxiously for her. "What happened?" She immediately asked him.

"Nothing, I just wanted to know how we planned on sneaking out of here to go track down those guys," he explained to her in a hushed voice, his eyes darting back and forth making sure no one around was listening in on the conversation. "According to the tracker, they're holed up just outside city limits. It's about a forty minute drive North. Mr. Harrington has a curfew set up for nine. Hopefully everyone will be back in their rooms and we can leave without anyone noticing."

"Michelle's my roommate," Danielle deadpanned. "How am I supposed to sneak out with her there?"

Peter shrugged. "I don't know. Tell her you're coming over to Ned and I's room to... study more."

Danielle gave him an unimpressed look. She was starting to question how he was able to keep the Spider-Man thing a secret for so long if he was this bad at coming up with lies and excuses. "She'll never believe that."

"I don't know! Wait until she's asleep, then you can sneak out," he suggested.

"Fine," Danielle reluctantly settled on a plan she doubted would work. She hoped it would.

"Cool," Peter replied. "So, you and Michelle are heading out soon to go sightseeing?"

"She's actually taking me out to protest the Sokovia Accords in front of some embassy," Danielle explained, the clear excitement in her face as she said it made Peter smile in amusement.

"Well, have fun. Ned and I are gonna be here trying to get that tracker out so Happy won't notice it when we head out tonight," he explained. His eyes narrowed but as he frowned at the mention of the Head of Security. "I still don't understand why he likes you more."

Danielle shrugged and smiled innocently. "He has known me longer."

Peter pouted at that, even going as far to cross his arms over his chest like a little kid. "He doesn't even know me that well and he hates me already."

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you," she tired to reassure him, but when he gave her an unconvinced look, she could only cringe. "... that much."

"Hey, West!"

Both Peter and Danielle turned their heads to where Michelle was standing outside her and Danielle's shared room as if she were waiting some something (probably her).

"The protest started twenty minutes ago. We're gonna be even more late unless we catch the next bus!" She shouted from down the hallway.

Danielle and Peter turned to look at each other, their eyes showing and telling different things. In Danielle's eyes was a question of if he was going to be alright if she went. His eyes held a reluctant response to go, but to come back safely. After all, he did need her to pull this off. "I'll see you later," was all she told him as she jogged to catch up with Michelle as she had already started walking to the elevator. As she left, she could practically feel Peter's eyes following her. He might've thought she hadn't noticed, but she could see it in his anxious body language and ecstatic movements that he was nervous about this.

"Hey, are you alright?" Michelle asked once the pair entered the elevator.

"Yeah... Why?" Danielle asked, confused. Had she done something out of the usual to make her think something was wrong?

Michelle jerked her head in the direction of the button panel Daniele was currently reaching towards. "Your hand's shaking," she pointed out.

Sure enou, when the brunette glanced down at where she was pressing the ground floor button, her pale hand was shaking and quivering beyond belief. Danielle was quick to retract after the button was pressed. She shoved her hands into her pockets and forced a smile as the doors closed.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she told the brunette beside her. "Just... nervous, I guess."

Michelle shrugged and passed it off as competition jitters, but barely paid any mind to the haunted look in her friend's eyes that hid the double meaning to her words...

Turned out Peter wasn't the only one nervous about pulling this off.

A/N: So... I'm back... Sorry for the wait? Don't kill me? Please?

But seriously, sorry about that long ass hiatus. This semester has just been hitting me left and right. I'd started this chapter such a long time ago and have been so busy I've barely gotten the chance to even touch it. I promise I'm trying super hard to write, but with school, social life, job, and wedding planning, life has been ultra hectic. I'm not saying get used to these long intervals between chapters, but just don't expect me to always be on time with postings.

anyways, hope you liked the chapter. Let me know what you think about this action coming up.

Also, shout out to this low-key lesbian love story I've got going on with Dani and Michelle. I promise, the love story isn't with them (wish it was tho), but I do love their friendship. Honestly, Danielle needs more normal friends that aren't going to peer pressure her. And Michelle needs more attention. I love her so much.

Reviews:

rjstx1: Um... Can't give that away, but not anytime soon. I can tell you that.

Ceggle143: Oh, as we get further into the story, I have plans for these HYDRA flashbacks. Big, big plans... ;). Anyway, sorry for the wait. Hope you like this chapter at least.

I. D.'s Fantasy: Ned is a cutie and makes me uwu all the frickin time. Underrated baddie, in my opinion. Sorry for the wait. I feel like a shit crack dealer who keeps letting their clients suffer until they sell them more of their fix.

CocoaFirefly: I'M SORRYYYYYYYYYYYYY