They call her Human Torch! Chapter 20
Tuesday January 10, 2012
The past 3 day's had actually been fun, for me anyway. Peter and Char were stuck inside most of the time because of the sun but I had taken a rental car and had explored Rome, Milan, Florence, and at night I had ran to Venice. Of course I did not get to see any particular city in detail since I only had 3 days to look at the more popular attractions. We were on our way to the castle now but we were a few minutes late, hopefully it would make them anxiously wait. The minute we got to our hotel on Saturday, Peter had called Jasper and I had called Kitty, I did not tell her exactly what happened but I did want to assure her that I had been in and out without being hurt. She sounded guarded somehow but wouldn't say anything when I asked her about it. Peter urged me to hang up since Jasper wanted to talk to me, she almost sounded relived when she hung up, that definitely left me concerned. Jasper was happy after Peter and Char had shared every detail of what happened but he warned me that I had to keep that intimidating vibe every time I encountered a vampire now.
"If you are nice and polite to a vampire and then he runs into the Volturi for some reason then Aro will read them and your intimidating act will go down the drain. Vampires= bitch Bella. Got it?"
I had agreed and did a happy dance inside, I liked playing a bad guy. It made me feel strong, but I wouldn't want Kitty or the rest of our family to see me like that. Less than an hour later we arrived and once again took the hidden door on the side to get into the reception, gone was the human woman and in her place was a very nervous looking boy, he looked 16 or younger. As soon as we stepped foot inside he jumped up and nodded at us before leading us to the same thrown room as before. I was happy to see every vampire was present and they were all stock still and tense. Caius glared at me and almost vibrated in anger but Aro seemed controlled, I could still see fury and fear in his eyes so I was not worried. Marcus was the only one who remained expressionless, maybe a little curiosity there but not enough to show in his facial features.
"Aro, I must say, your country is beautiful. I understand why you choose to stay here. Have you come to a decision?"
I aimed for contempt but I think I put too much edge in my voice because they stayed silent and most of the guard broke eye contact with me. Peter poked my back and I knew I had to be more firm. Putting anger in my voice I spoke again.
"Well?! I do not have all day to watch you all try to piss yourselves! Have you come to a decision or not?"
For good measure I let my finger tips erupt in flames too. Their eyes widened even more in fear when they saw that the flame was not hurting my hand at all but before I could yell some more I saw Aro control himself and put a relaxed expression on his face.
"Isabella, no need to get violent this time around. I believe you have made your stance clear. We have spoken in great detail and came to agree that the risk of exposure is too great, we are after all here to deal with these type of threats, you do us a favor by committing to kill these newborns when they are created."
"I am so glad you see things my way Aro."
"Yes and as you have said, you may not require Demetri's involvement. We as a coven and as Kings to our kind, cannot simply loan out our guard, it leaves us in unfavorable standing. You understand, dear Isabella, don't you."
I knew it. Of course this fucker is putting conditions. I smiled sweetly and made my voice as high and falsely innocent as I could.
"Trust me when I say I expected no less. What can I do for the 3.. Kings?"
I had to hiss out that word, in no way was this pathetic bunch capable of ruling.
"If you are victorious in your battle and at any point are in need of my tracker, we will happily lend you his services, all we ask is that you take care of a little problem of ours. We have been much too busy to rectify it properly but with your assistance we feel we can finally bury it."
"What would that be?"
"The idea of the newborn army started and ended in the southern states of America, we eliminated most threats to humans however there are few leaders left standing. I believe you may know of one, seeing as she created the vampire who sired your lackeys."
Simultaneously Peter and Char lost it. Char whimpered in fear and I knew it was her biggest fear to be thrown back into Maria's compound. Peter growled in fury for being called a lackey and for the threat they hung over his mate's head. I narrowed my eyes at him until he stopped and got back in his place. I could see the glee in Aro's eyes as he witnessed the break in the order we had. It pissed me off to no end and I took a threatening step forward.
"My my, such great provision for such a simple act."
He smirked and I saw his confidence boost. I knew of all the horrible things Maria had done, torturous things. Jasper had told me that there were no other armies to fight but she still kept older vampires and newborns just in case. There was no way that I would ask them to go back to that hell but I alone could, If I flew over her compound and attacked from above then what chance did they have? It would be a surprise attack and I could turn more than half of them to ash quickly. I could make this work easily if I was alone actually, I wouldn't have to worry about hurting anyone and could just let the flames go to cover all surrounding areas.
"I need a tracker and you need someone to step in and take care of this for you since your guard is either too scared or too weak."
His fury returned but I put my hand up to silence any stupidity that was about to come out of his mouth.
"I will agree under conditions of my own."
"Conditions? You believe you are in a position to have them?"
"You expect the 3 of us to fight do you not? My counter offer does not involve them. I fight alone and you send some of your best guards to run a perimeter and stop any vampires that try to run. That is all I ask and I will not negotiate any more from there."
He seemed shocked, everyone did, even Peter and Char tensed up behind me but Aro smiled wide, probably thinking that I would not make it out alive against a whole army. He was quick to agree and came down to shake my hand. I ignored it this time around and simply nodded at him before turning to leave.
"I will send word to you if the time comes. If I am sought before that time then I will shred whoever you send. Understood?"
He merely bowed before the heavy doors once again closed behind us. The way back to the hotel was tense, I waited for them to say something but they also waited for me. We arrived and I turned to go straight to my room to begin packing for the flight home. I sensed them stop in front of their door and could feel their eyes on me but I just opened my own door and shut it behind me. I don't know if they thought me stupid for accepting to fight an army on my own, I guess it did sound strange, but they had become more than just acquaintances now, the way they always tried to prepare me or train me, to always try to help had made me care for them quickly, I knew a part of me considered them almost family already but I was not ready to admit that to myself yet. I could hear their voices in their room and a lower third one that had to be Jasper on the phone, I knew he would really freak out. Peter and Char had promised to act like they followed me and so they treated me just like they would treat Jasper but now that this was over, I'm sure they would freely give their opinions again. An hour later the voices stopped and I tried my best to tune them out so I only heard bits and pieces when my name was said, I did not know what type of mood they were in, I though maybe they might come to my room to talk but when they didn't I just finished packing and took the time to go drop off the rental car. When I came back I got my bags and went to check out while texting them that I would wait in the lobby. I still could not get a good read on their faces and they still didn't say anything so I silently made my way out to catch cab and waited for them to put their bags in the back before climbing in. I was glad that I was fluent enough to ask the driver to go to the airport and that I didn't have to make hand signals like I did in India. Honestly the silence was starting to affect me, what did they want me to say? Why would they be angry anyway? Or even shocked? I didn't know what I could say at this point so I was anxious to get on the damn plane and sleep. I took the time in the cab to send a group text to the pack and tell them about what had happened. They had found it hilarious when I first called and told them about the first meeting.
We checked in quickly and I went to our terminal to sit and wait while the boarding started. They sat next to me and still stared ahead blankly. Honestly I wanted to scoff but instead got up to go find somewhere to get food, as soon as I was walking away I felt steel arms wrap around me, I scented Charlotte's perfume and fought the heat that had started rising in me, I turned towards her confused but she just hugged me again and buried her head in the crook of my neck.
"Thank you."
She started shaking and her eyes filled with venom but I was still confused until Peter came and pried her off me. Char looked up at me from his arms and started hiccuping while talking.
"You knew w-we didn't want to- that I wouldn't go back there to her. You offered yourself up and- just so I wouldn't have to, so we didn't have to. You can't fight alone. We will figure something out b-but"
Peter shushed her and patted her back to calm her while he looked up at me with soft eyes.
"Sug what she means is that we are very thankful, we won't let you do that suicide mission alone but the fact that you put yourself in that position because you knew how we all ran to get away from there, it means a lot Bella. It really floored us that you would take us into consideration like that even though we don't know each other very well. We considered you a friend with how close we got in Forks but now we consider you family and I know it meant a lot to the Major too. We just wanted you to know that."
Charlotte nodded and gave me a small smile, although I could still see some fear in her eyes for what she knew was coming.
"Guy's, we still need to work through some things, we still need to talk about what happened and I already have a tactic that I think will work but we have a lot of time okay? Lets just relax for now and get home in one piece. You guys don't have to thank me, I owe you one for helping me train and become a better fighter, after every story you have told me about her, how could I ask you to go back for me when this whole Victoria thing is because of me too?"
"It's not! This is all that little asswipe's fault!"
I shrugged, not wanting to defend Edward because well yeah I could so easily blame him but this whole thing was simply to get to me too so I had to take some responsibility. I sighed and went to get my food. The flight was much calmer now that we were relaxed and they had showed me where they stood. I was relived that they were not really upset but I dreaded to think of what Tony or Kitty would say, or even Darcy and Jane. Paul and the rest of the pack would be angry enough when the time came to tell them what I had agreed to, for now though I didn't want to worry them with this information. Tony had been all for fighting and although he had made prototypes for some really awesome vampire weapons, I planned to keep him out of the loop on some things as well. I was happy that I could be open and I could tell them about all this but no way would I let any of them fight with me. I refused to taint them with my past.
Thursday January 12, 2012
I was on my way home with Kitty, Piotr, and strangely Logan. We had spent Tuesday and Wednesday on the plane so when we got back to New York late last night I went straight to bed without calling anyone to tell them I was home. Today I got up early and told Peter and Char that I was picking Kitty up to bring her home like I do every weekend but when I got to the school she jumped up in surprise to see me. I knew on the phone in Italy that there was something wrong and seeing how nervous she was, how she wouldn't look me in the eye, and how just guilty she seemed, I knew something was wrong. I had asked her but she avoided the subject and ran up to pack after begging Piotr to take my invitation of coming with us this weekend. That alone was strange but then Logan comes downstairs with a bag, looking at me strangely and saying that he was coming this weekend too. It was all too much and no matter how many questions I asked I was blown off by everyone. Once we got home Logan took his things to his usual room and Kitty took Piotr to choose a room. Peter and Char tried to introduce themselves but the 3 of them kept walking away.
"I have no idea what is up with them, they are never rude like that and she has never gotten so nervous since I met her. Just last week she was excited to see you both and she really wanted you to meet Logan."
I said it out loud as an explanation but I was mostly asking myself what the fuck I came home to? Tony was going to come later on time for dinner, Pepper had a busy schedule this week so I was sad to not see her but also glad that I was going to be able to speak with him about Italy, I knew that was his real reason for coming a whole day early. I turned to face them but Char was just looking and waiting for Peter, he had a pensive look on his face and I had learned that this meant he was getting information with his 'non-gift'. He snapped out of it and turned to me.
"You are going to have to tell your visitors about us."
"What? You mean Logan and Piotr? No Peter, I said I would not drag any more people into this."
"They know something, that is why they are acting strange, they already know information but I can't figure out what it is."
"What? How did they learn anything? Kitty wouldn't say anything without good reason. How much do they know?"
He rolled his eyes and scoffed.
"That is not how it works! I don't know."
I sighed but knew better than to push him for more. I didn't like this though. Wasn't I set hard enough on me keeping my family out of my past?
"Peter, Aro said that Maria was one of the last warlords. What does that mean?"
"She is the last leader that actually has a full blown army to defend her territory, the rest of the people that lead armies are dead, alone, or lead small covens, no armies though."
"Victoria is going to someone that will help her build an army, it must be someone who has experience right? I don't think Maria is the only one left, that's impossible."
They shrugged but I could see the wheels in their heads turning. Peter went with Char up to the conference room to call Jasper, I had recently made that room as sound proof as possible so even with the heightened hearing Logan had, it still sounded muffled. Thinking of him I decided to go gather the 3 rude little fuckers. I was mad but I wouldn't show it until they explained themselves, and they would explain themselves. No, I would calm down first and cook. Yep, that is what I would do, I was going to have Piotr, Tony, and Logan all eating so I had a lot of food to prep anyway.
2 hours later.
Tony had just arrived and after hugging me he was polite, unlike my other guests, and introduced himself. He did nothing to hide his interest in their red eyes though, in typical Tony fashion, he was intrusive bordering on rude but Peter was just like that too so they got along and were soon playing pool in the game room. When Logan finally came out of his room he avoided me and went straight to the game room to introduce himself as well and join them in pool. I was glad to see them all getting along but every few minutes Logan would look at Peter and I knew he had to know. How? I don't know, but he does.
"Alright everyone! Dinner is ready!" I screamed into the intercom.
Soon everyone ran into the dining room and served their plates, Char and Peter used the excuse that they had already eaten for Piotr and Logan's sake but they certainly didn't believe it, they did however, stare into their eyes for a long time. Peter and Char put on contact as soon as they heard Logan coming out of his room but I could tell they were not fooled. Everyone was eating in an awkward silence but Kitty was just picking at her food, Tony reached his peak and went off.
"Alright what's up? Everyone is on edge and it's not letting me savor this delicious food. Stop and explain or just stop. Anyone?"
I smiled at him but frowned when I saw Kitty's hands begin to tremble and her cheeks get red.
"Kitty?"
She seemed to tremble more under the attention she was getting and I quickly got up and went to kneel in front of her, trying to meet her eyes but she kept avoiding mine.
"Kitty talk to me honey, did something happen to you? Did some one hurt you?"
I didn't know what was going on but I felt myself start to panic at feeling helpless, she started crying, as if my concern made her feel worse. I looked to Piotr and Logan lost.
"What is going on? You have all been acting strange since I got back."
Logan sighed and turned to look at Kitty, waiting for her for something. I felt the anger bubble up again at not being able to help Kitty, I mean she felt worse when I expressed my concern, if I can't do that then what can I do? I glared at the 2 boy's.
"Tell me what happened now!"
Piotr looked at Kitty nervously and stretched out his hand to pat her back. She took a shuddering breath and visibly calmed down before looking up at me, her eyes were full of guilt and she was sobbing out rushed words.
"M-mom, I didn't plan to, I swear! You left and I was so worried and Colossus is my best friend, he was worried for the 2 of us but he didn't understand why you leaving was such a big deal to m-me! I trust him so much and I can't hide anything from him and I didn't really think ahead to what I was doing. I-I just t-told him everything! Oh god I'm so s-sorry! I know you told them they could trust me and I did what they thought I would and what you said I wouldn't- you told them I was responsible! You put your name on the line and I- mom I'm so sorry!"
She dissolved into tears and fell off the seat into my arms, they wrapped around her automatically as I leaned against the wall and rocked her.
"Mom? I'm so sorry."
"Shh, it's okay, everything will be fine. There's no need to panic okay Kitty? Take a deep breath and calm down for me. Let's start at the beginning, what does Logan have to do with this?"
They seemed shocked that I was not dwelling on this, I would do it on my own time, probably after figuring out what to tell the pack. Logan they knew I trusted with everything I had but one of Kitty's friends? How would I explain that? I looked to Logan when Kitty didn't answer.
"Did she tell you?"
"I heard them. They didn't know I was close enough and when I found out where you were and why, I went to them and told them I heard everything, that is when she started freaking out."
I nodded and turned to Peter and Char.
"Meet me in the conference room please."
They blurred and were gone before anyone could blink. I saw Tony pick up his plate and follow after them with an incredulous expression on his face, muttering about freaky speed.
"Logan, please just watch them while we figure out what to do next."
"Bella, I've been alive a while, if you think I've never ran into a vampire before you are very wrong. My claws can go right through the suckers by the way. Didn't know you had history with them though."
I felt my eyes widen before nodding and motioning for him to follow.
I was in my office and I saw it was almost 7, I had talked to Peter, Char, Tony, and Logan, we had agreed that if the wolves had a problem with him knowing, which I really did not think they would, we could say that Logan brought up vampires to me after seeing Peter and Char in the apartment.
"So tell them I am training Piotr and think his metal ability can damage vampire skin. You just so happen to let him know that you know about vampires too. Once they are on board with that then the rest will follow, they don't need to know that he knows about shifting wolves yet."
"It just feels wrong to hide it from them but yes I would rather wait a minute or tell them in person. It really shouldn't be a problem but I do need to speak to Kitty about this, it's still a break of a promise."
Once Peter, Char, and Logan, left I leaned back on the chair and let out a deep breath. Tony snorted and rolled his eyes. I sighed and went to him while he patted the spot next to him on the couch. He always sat by the glass wall looking over the city, claimed it was relaxing.
"It's been a long night for you hasn't it?"
"God yes. Long week actually."
"You know, I just wish there was footage of you ripping someone's arm off. I feel like I might get a little turned on, a little nausea on the side, and freaked out all at once."
I smiled at him, glad he could help relieve some tension I had about tonight.
"I am not sure why this is such an issue, for you or for them. It's just another form of mutation, that's how we all see it. I get they don't want their tribe or random people to know but your friends? It's not like it's a big deal."
I raised my eyebrow and giggled a bit. Tony never ranted, it was strange really.
"It does annoy me that I have to keep this from Pep. I told her about the Avenger initiative, now THAT is a secret. Little boys who turn into dogs? Not on my agenda surprisingly."
I laughed harder and pouted his way.
"Aww Tony I'm sorry. Look, I am not going to tell you to tell her."
"But?"
"Hm? But what? What are you talking about?"
"Oh I see what you are doing. Turning your head?"
"Turning my head to what? I have no clue what you are going on and on about."
He laughed and pulled me to him, giving me a half hug.
"You're right. I'll tell her Monday morning."
"TONY! You're not supposed to make it so hard!"
He must be in a good mood tonight because he actually laughed again. I sighed and decided to spill the last bit of information that had me feeling guilty.
"Tony, I told Bruce everything. I can't get mad or judge any of you for telling anyone because I told Bruce every aspect and detail of my life when I was over there, it helped to take it all out and work everything out with him but I haven't told the pack about Bruce."
"Well, I'm not too surprised. I am a little Jealous though. I already have to compete with Logan to be the man of the house, now Hulk?"
I giggled and pushed him away from me.
"Please Tony! Everyone knows that I am the head of the house and Pepper is next in line so the only competition you 2 have going is who can eat the most?"
"Trust me, that is not a competition, we just love your food! Now come on, I know where we can see a much better view from. But first, go talk to my little kitten, she feels terrible and apparently its for no good reason!"
I took his outstretched hand and went straight to Kitty's room. Now I felt guilty for letting her feel bad for so long. I should have cleared the air with her first. I knocked on her door and was surprised to see that she was alone, I thought Piotr would be in here with her but tuning my hearing, I heard him chatting with Logan and Peter.
"Kitty?"
She looked up at me with red and swollen eyes that filled back up with tears when she saw me.
"Mom, I'm so sorry! I kn-"
"Stop Kitty, it's okay honey. Look I am sorry for not clearing this up with you before leaving to meet up with everyone else, I just needed to come up with a reason for why Piotr would know. Logan suggested a plan and that's what we'll go with."
She listened attentively as I told her basically the same things I had just told Tony, she was very understanding and tried to sympathize with the guilt I had been feeling. She frowned and tried arguing that she should take responsibility and tell the pack that she broke her promise and told their secret but I managed to explain that it was just better to explain a different way, and that it was not just to cover for her. Though I could understand the sentiment and smiled at my sweet girl, she is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I am so young and already I feel that maternal instinct that so many people wait years for, I am so lucky to have her in my life.
"I love you baby girl. Now I am going to go out with Tony for a bit, just to fly for a while but tomorrow I will sit you and Piotr down to chat about trust and promises."
"Mom I know I can't just trust people with secrets but I figured that since Colossus is part of our little family now, then I could tell him."
"I know, and he is a part of our family now, which is why you are not grounded but I still want to talk to you about breaking promises. Not only the one you made to the tribe but also the one you made to me when I asked you not to tell anyone. I have always told you from the day that we met, that you have to listen to me because anything that I ask of you, will be with your safety and best interest in mind."
She nodded but smiled softly at me so I knew she did not take it harshly. Leaning down to kiss her forehead she hugged me and stuffed her head in the crook of my neck.
"I love you mom."
"Love you too. Are you going to sleep already? It's early."
"Yeah, just the nerves and the emotions I have been feeling all week and all the tears from today, I just need some rest."
I nodded and covered her with blankets before ducking out of her room to go straight up to the observatory. I knew we had the roof entrance and exit but going out through here was more relaxing. Tony came up after a few minutes already in his suit.
"Why is it that every time I come in here you are always laying on the floor?"
"I just wish I could sleep here. I love looking up at the stars."
"In that case, you know we could make this your bedroom right?"
"Nah, I've thought about it but I like showing people the beautiful view, if this was my bedroom then I would not want others to be in my private space."
"Hm, we'll figure something out."
We took off at the same time and I had to slow down since all my practice had perfected my flying and I was able to go very fast plus much higher than him. As long as I had oxygen in my system then I could keep the flame on, if I got too high then the pressure started to hurt but with Logan's healing power it powered me to go up farther than any human could, where Tony lacked oxygen and passed out from the pressure, I would just get a bad headache.
We flew for about an hour but decided to land in a doughnut shop in Queens.
"I first met you in a doughnut shop, what is your obsession with them?"
"Why would you NOT obsess over them? They are glazed, fluffy, pieces of heaven. Plus this place is supposed to be really good, the reviews are awesome."
"You looked up reviews for a doughnut shop?"
"New York has some of the best bakery's I'll have you know! Pardon me for wanting to try new things when I come on weekends!"
I rolled my eyes but followed him inside. I swear I could hear the gasps as soon as we walked in. The place was a bakery so obviously there weren't many people, only about 8 in total, including the workers. Still Tony went right up to the counter, ignoring the stares, and ordered a dozen glazed doughnuts. The guy behind the counter almost tripped over himself twice, trying to fill up a box. I had to stifle a laugh when he thrust the box into Tony's waiting arms.
"On the house sir, on the house."
Tony smiled wide and winked as he dropped a 100 dollar bill into the tip jar. There were people taking pictures, trying to do it discreetly but Tony turned to all of them and gave a big smile before wrapping an arm around me to pull me out of the place.
"You need to get over your fear of camera's. You froze in there and plastered a fake grin on your face. You gotta smile and wave at the civilians."
He said it so seriously but with a teasing smile on his face that made me break out laughing.
"There you go! No come on! Lets get up on a roof and eat these bad boy's! Psh! On the house sir! Hell yeah!"
We laughed and launched ourselves up to land in a random building in Jackson Heights, it was a residential area and I was glad to get away from the constant sirens of the city, we could still hear them but they were farther. I turned and chuckled once I heard Tony moaning, the facial hair on his chin was covered in the glaze flakes from the donuts but he didn't care he just kept eating for about 2 minutes. When he reached into the box for his 3rd one was when he finally turned to me and offered me one.
"Gee thanks!"
"Shut up and taste, let your taste buds be flooded with the a-"
"Tony, you are making me tasting this, awkward."
"Just saying, you don't appreciate food enough, you are always cooking it so when you actually sit down to taste it, you never get that wow factor."
"Wow factor? isn't that term used for weddings and house hunting?"
"I don't know. Pepper uses it a lot so it stuck I guess."
I rolled my eyes but I did let out an appreciative moan, this was actually very very good. We sat and talked about the progress of the building and how he was working on making the building self sustainable.
"I am making a lot of guest quarters, like you have at your place."
He said it a little too casually so I took that route too.
"Why's that? Planning on having a lot of visitors?"
I don't know, just figured maybe our team may grow one day and what if we make it like the Stark tower/ Avenger tower?"
"That would be cool, like having our own headquarters."
"Exactly. I know we use your place a lot but what if one day there is something official where we need to bring in outsiders? You wouldn't want strangers in our private family space so that is where my building would come in handy."
I agreed and started talking about floor plans and making a floor feel like an actual home for him and Pepper while keeping the rest of the floors as high tech as possible. Meeting rooms, strategic rooms, armor and weapon rooms, all the best equipment in labs that we could find, we got excited and talked for over an hour while Jarvis took notes of our ideas. I was in the middle of a sentence when Tony grabbed my arm and silently pointed to a figure 2 buildings over, it looked to be a man wearing a hoodie but once I got a closer look, I could see why Tony was staring with wide eyes. He was swinging through the alley and scaling the building with his bare hands! His wrists had a black thing around them and it seemed to be helping but it was still fascinating to see.
"Now that is an awesome Mutant ability!"
"He looks hurt."
Looking closer I could see what Tony meant, his swings were much more graceful than any human on a zip line but I could see the shake in his arms and legs, struggling to stay up. I gasped and jumped to my feet when I saw him miss a turn, only to crash on the brick wall and fall on the roof of the next building. Tony and I flew to his side but the boy was passed out, he had a black hockey mask on but it was torn and I took it off without thinking, he looked no older than 18.
"Tony it looks like he was shot on his shoulder and he has a gash on his calf that will need stitches. We need to take him to the hospital quick!"
"Wait! Bella he had a mask on… what if he is a mutant and doesn't want anyone to know?"
I paused and thought maybe he was right, they could take his blood and they would need his full name, by the looks of his worn out clothes, he didn't come from a lot of money, what if he can't afford what the hospital will charge his insurance? If I were in his position I wouldn't want to be taken to any hospital.
"Okay, I can stitch him up and take out the bullet I think, I saw Bruce do it a lot of times, if not we can tell Logan to go to the school and bring Hank, he is a doctor. Carry him back while I call Peter and Char to make sure they stay in the first floor."
He nodded seriously and we got to work quick, of course he made me take a detour to the other building and get his donuts but other than that we flew straight home and got him securely to the mostly unused medical lab. I started off by hooking him up to the monitor, although I didn't know what most of the numbers meant or how to read them, Tony loaded Jarvis into the system to double check anything and to alert us if something was not right. I knew he had lost blood but not too bad, we did a good job of wrapping his leg until I could work on it. For now I had to take that bullet out. Logan had heard the noise and came up to check on everything, we decided not to tell him what he could do and only tell him that he is a mutant so we chose not to take him to the hospital. Logan was a lot of help and got to working on his leg while I worked on the gun shot wound, it looked like his muscle was strong enough to stop the bullet so I was able to carefully remove it without making a bigger incision, as painful as it looked, both wounds could have been much worse. It seems he passed out from the pain but while Logan was disinfecting the wound with alcohol, the boy started to stir before going crazy and yelling at us to let him go, his eyes were wide but he was too blinded by the overhead light to see us, wiping my hands of blood, I dimmed them and leaned down to let his eyes focus on me.
"Hey, you are okay, we will not hurt you, we will not take your blood or try to study it. We saw you pass out on that building and saw your wounds so decided to help you ourselves instead of taking you to the hospital. Say the word and we will take you there right now. I promise we won't force you to stay or anything like that okay?"
He gaped at me for a moment and looked around me to see Tony. He gasped and breathed out a painful
"Holy shit!"
"Language young man!"
He nodded at me frantically and them shifted onto his arm only to fall back in pain.
"You have some injuries that will keep you down a for about a week at least. Do you want us to take you to a hospital? We understand you may not be comfortable here."
He shook his head slowly and seemed to be analyzing me.
"You are a type of mutant right?"
"Technically yes. I didn't have the gene activated like others though, mine is more on the science mistake side."
He nodded and looked like he understood what I meant, I noticed that he did not seem as tense anymore but there was something holding him back, his eyes kept shifting, looking at all the counter tops.
"What are you looking for hun?"
"You really didn't take a blood sample?"
"No, I swear I did not. I was so scared in the beginning, I felt like everyone was after a sample of my blood to study me. I promise you, I will never study you as if you were a freak, never."
He nodded and still looked scared but at least let us finish working on him. I tried to make the stitches as small as possible to avoid major scarring but so matter the size, he was still sweating and gasping in pain. Logan finished first and poured some alcohol into a small bin before bringing it to me.
"Heat it up. It will help to make sure his leg won't get infected."
I grimaced just thinking about how much that was going to hurt but I did heat it up and had him slowly pour it over his leg while Tony held the boy down. I felt bad for the silent tears and the painful moans he has going but I had to chuckle because in between the pain, I heard him whisper to himself.
"Iron man is holding me down."
Logan cracked a smirk and Tony looked at us in confusion. About an hour later we were done and I had convinced Tony to let me slip half a dosage of morphine into the boy's system. It was enough to help with the pain but not enough to make him pass out. We moved him to a bed in the containment area and cleaned up the rest of the lab while he got some rest. When Logan went to bed, Tony and I spoke quietly about what we had seen and we had Jarvis scan the area for crimes, somehow we had missed any news lately but apparently a masked male had been stopping small crimes in Queens and surrounding neighborhoods but tonight he stopped a bank from getting robbed, the police do not know if he was injured or not but he did manage to leave all 4 men tied up in the van they had as the get away car. It had only been happening for about 3 weeks so he must be new to whatever was going on with him. He began to stir and I went up to him trying to get his attention.
"Hey Peter?"
His eyes shot open and he sat up to look at me in panic.
"How do you know my name?!"
"Tony looked in your wallet, I'm sorry, I know you wanted to keep your identity secret but I promise we will not tell anyone."
He still looked upset but nodded thankfully at both of us.
"We are of course curious about what you can do but we won't ask questions if you don't want us too or if you just don't want to do it tonight it's fine. You are more than welcome to stay in one of the guest bedrooms but seeing as your ID says you are only 17, I imagine your parents must be waiting for you."
"I live with my aunt May. She must be worried sick. I was supposed to be home by 9:30. what time is it now?"
"It is 10:43."
He closed his eyes and grimaced
"I need to go home fast. Where are we?"
"The Baxter building. I can have you home in less than 5 minutes if you want to leave now?"
"How? We are nowhere near my house? It would take at least 20 minutes without traffic."
"We flew you here Peter. We will fly you back home. Come on, try not to move or stiffen any muscles."
I could tell he was very uncomfortable with me picking him up bridal style as I walked towards the observatory but once we took off he gripped around my neck and closed his eyes for a while. Once he opened them he smiled and enjoyed the view though. I had Tony and my guide to land in the right roof and it was only a block away from where we picked him up. I had Tony knock on the door and a worried, older looking woman opened the door in seconds. She must have been seriously worried but she started bawling when she saw Peter in my arms. I shushed her and Peter told her he had been assaulted but that he was fine. Once she recognized me and Tony she smiled and started to excessively thank us. Tony distracted her while I took Peter up to bed and took his shoes off.
"I am not going to say anything to your aunt but if she is all you have in this world, you should consider letting her in and letting her support you in the changes you are going through. You are too young to shoulder this all on your own."
He shrugged but did not commit to anything.
"Alright. Is it okay if I come in a few days to clean your stitches and check on them?"
"You don't have to do that for me."
"Yes I do, what if your leg gets infected and I have to chop it off!"
I laughed at his look of horror but then went to his desk and started writing down all my information as well as everything he could do to keep his wounds clean.
"Its the beginning of the weekend so I will come Sunday and check on you to see if you should go back to school or not. Drink a lot of water and rest, don't be stupid and go out there again until I give you the green light okay? Not that I condone you going after criminals but it is not my place to tell you what to do with free time."
He smiled softly at me but fell asleep quickly. I sighed and went downstairs just in time to hear May gasp and say
"He has been acting differently! Its just- I mean my husband, we lost him so suddenly and recently. I just though he was taking it hard. Ben raised him like he was ours and- but I never saw and signs that he had the mutant gene, don't abilities start when they are young?"
Dammit Tony! I got to the living room and gave him the stink eye.
"Mrs?.."
"Oh no dear, call me May."
"Thank you May. I told Peter I would not tell you of his abilities if he did not want me to, unfortunately Tony beat me to the punch but this is a matter that is very new to him, I do not want to assume but there are guardians that cannot handle or do not want to take on the responsibility of having a mutant in the family-"
"I would never turn him away! I am a supporter of mutant rights!"
"I am glad to hear that May and I hope I did not offend you, I just want you to know that unconditional support and love is all you can do to help him through this, I am sure he never saw these changes coming so I will do anything I can to help. I left my number on his desk in case he needs anything but with your permission, I would like to come back on Sunday and check his injuries as well as go over anything he may question, anything he does not understand."
"Thank you, I wish there was something I could do for him, I had no idea what was going on under my own roof! You say you are not sure what his ability is?"
"No, we were not able to get a very clear view of him and he needs a lot of rest so we chose not to question him."
After chatting a bit more I found out that she is actually a nurse and is more than capable of taking care of Peter.
"I would still appreciate if you came anyway, to talk about any changes in him that I can't explain or understand."
"Of course. I drop off my daughter at her school Sunday afternoon's so I will come here after that. Is 6 pm alright or is that too late?"
"N-no it is perfect. I'm sorry dear but you have a daughter? That has never been said on the news?"
She covered her mouth in shock and her cheeks got a rosy hue to them.
"Oh sweet Jesus how absolutely rude of me! I am so sorry!"
"Really it's okay! I have not officially adopted her actually but I am her guardian. She is 15."
"Oh how sweet of you! She goes to private school?"
"Yes, technically. She goes to an academy dedicated to helping mutant students."
"I see. Well then I am sure that you will be able to help Peter."
"I hope I can. It was nice to meet you."
We shook hands and formally introduced ourselves before Tony and I took off.
"I can't believe you told his aunt!"
"Of course I did! The kid is Colossus' age! If something were going on with Kitten wouldn't you want to know?"
"Yes but this is something so sensitive."
"Bella that kid could have died tonight and May would have no idea where he was, what he was doing, what he could do. She still doesn't know about that because not even we really know."
"I saw the way he was swinging and that stuff coming out of him? It was like, like dry slime? Like silk."
"Dry slime? Really Bella?"
"Yes! Like slime you know because slime stretches and retracts but it didn't seem sticky or wet at all."
"Web."
"What?"
"It was like a web. A spider web."
We looked at each other in astonishment before he started talking.
"Jarvis, run a full background check on Peter Parker, age 17, lives on 20 Ingram Street. Pull up his school files and run a face recognition to match all street cameras in New York. I want to know all of his moves from the past 2 months."
"Yes sir."
