[Steve's POV]

"If you want to see me change, it needs to be on my own terms," Jacqueline said. Although the idea of Director Fury chasing her around Tony Stark's building with a water bottle seemed to be entertaining for her, and for the others, it bothered me. There was a look in her eyes that I'd seen before, she was terrified and she was making sure it didn't show. Stark couldn't tell, from what I'd heard, the man didn't care about people other than himself. Much like the punks that I used to fight in Brooklyn. I never could stand people like that, we just didn't get along.

"So, all it takes is a bit of water?" Stark asked. I bit the inside of my cheek, resisting the urge to say something snide. Jacqueline smirked, and her eyes glinted with secrets that we couldn't even begin to guess.

"Sure, if you can ensure that I can't dry off completely before the timer goes off." She held up her hand, and the water that coated the outside of the bottle on the floor evaporated. There was no steam; she was controlling the temperate in the bottle carefully. As the ice inside the bottle melted, I smiled to myself. I'd seen her use this power on my coffee that morning, but she'd heated it to steaming.

When the last of the ice had melted, Jackie emerged from behind Stark's couch, picking the bottle up off of the floor. She looked at the water and frowned, thinking hard about whether or not she wanted to go through with the demonstration. Before anyone could blink, Fury had the bottle in his hand and turned over on her head. Her eyes were wide with shock as she stood dripping water.

"What the hell was that about!?" I shouted, "A little warning would have been nice!" Fury turned, staring me down. I didn't back off, stepping forward to stand face-to-face with the Director.

"The longer she waited the harder it would have been to make the choice. I chose for her."

"Uhm, guys?" Jacqueline interrupted. As we turned, bubbles foamed up over her skin; she was transparent for a moment, as though she'd turned into water. Then she solidified; she looked exactly the way she had when she'd resurfaced at the river earlier. However, she was still vertical. She fell to the side, her tail refusing to hold her body upright.

"Oof!" She gasped as she hit the ground. I shoved Fury aside, kneeling on the floor next to her. She rolled over onto her back, propping herself up on her hands. She gave me a cheesy grin, but I could see it was forced.

"Are you okay?" I asked, "That sounded pretty painful, you didn't get hurt did you?" Jacqueline's smile turned genuine.

"I've taken more tumbles than I care to admit," she said, "And in worse places. This is the softest landing I've ever had."

"Yeah, I never liked the rough and non-squishy carpets," Stark added, "And I give you an 8 out of 10, nice technique, but you could use a little more grace." The man made an odd pose, and Jacqueline giggled. She curled her fin up a little, but it flopped heavily to the ground again. It must be really hard for her to move on land, I thought, remembering her struggle getting back into the pipe.

"Sir," Jarvis interrupted. I had been informed about the AI before, but it was still disconcerting to hear the detached voice, "Miss Potts has expressed her dislike in being locked out of this floor. Shall I let her in?" I didn't know who this Miss Potts was, but I looked over at Jacqueline.

"Who?" she asked, confused by either the AI, by the unfamiliar name, or both.

"Ah, Pepper!" Stark exclaimed, "She can keep a secret I promise. She'll also kill me if I don't give her a good excuse…" Suddenly, I didn't mind Pepper very much, despite never having met the woman.

"It's okay," Jacqueline said nervously, "I don't mind…" I wasn't convinced, but there wasn't much of a choice.

"She's overridden my protocols, and I have to warn you sir," Jarvis said, "She's not very happy with you." The elevator opened, and a tall woman with ginger hair stepped through the doors into the room. She wore a stern expression.

"Tony," she said, "What's going on in here? We had plans, and you bring over guests…" She trailed off when she looked us over.

"Shield business?" she asked, and I gave Tony Stark an irritated look. Fury did too.

"She hasn't told anyone," Stark said hurriedly. Pepper didn't seem alarmed by Jacqueline's appearance at all. Turned around to look at the mermaid, I sucked in a gasp of air. Jacqueline was gone.

[Jacqueline's POV]

There was a long silence as everyone's gazed turned to the spot where I sat. In my panic, I'd used my camouflage ability. I was still terrified of what would happen when I reappeared, but it gave me a chance at least. Maintaining the power in one hand, I used to the other to start dragging myself to the couch. No one could see me reappear there, and I could steam myself off.

"Jacqueline?" Steve asked, his voice laced with anxiety. I bit my lip, I could already feel my power wavering, but I wasn't about to let myself drop it.

"Is there another person here?" I heard the woman, Pepper Potts ask. I felt trapped, and vulnerable.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't think she'd be going anywhere that fast." Mr. Stark said, puzzled. I resorted to rolling my body behind the couch, feeling a cold sweat starting to coat my skin. I'd never held the magic this long, and it was draining me. Releasing the camouflage, I started steaming the water off of my form. I winced, feeling the sting of dried out scales and skin. My skin bubbled with magic, and I was human once again. Struggling to stand, I leaned heavily on the back of the couch.

"I'm here…" I said weakly, "Sorry about that, I panicked."

"Jackie," Steve started, "Are you okay? You look sick-" I cut him off by leaning forward, rolling myself over onto the couch. I practically melted into the pleather.

"Never held the chameleon power that long before," I said, trying to grin, "That was pretty tough…"

"Chameleon power?" Pepper interrupted, "What's going on?"

"I'm a mermaid, I can control water, boil it, freeze it, gel it, stuff like that. I only turn fishy when wet. I can also become invisible at will…" I trailed off, exhausted. I felt clammy, and I was lucky sweating didn't trigger a change. Must be a safety thing.

"Wait seriously?" Pepper was asking. I closed my eyes.

"I'm just gonna take a quick nap. I went a little overboard today…" I trailed off.

"You did a good job," Steve said, "You've earned a break." That was the last thing I heard before falling asleep.

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Hey everyone! It's me again! Bam, two updates today! I count both of them as today since chapter 7 was posted a bit after midnight, even if the site doesn't. I gave Steve's point of view first this time; since I wanted to explain the reason Steve isn't a big fan of Tony. Tony's a jerk sometimes, that's all there is to it. Thanks for reading guys! I love getting feedback and questions, it's a huge motivator for me. I just love to know people like what I do. Not a huge cliffhanger here, but I'm going to make more of an effort next time!