Chapter Thirty Six

Ada shifted uneasily in her bed. Sleep didn't come easily for her, that night. Her dreams kept shifting from nightmares to regular dreams. Images of the people she had dreamed of when she was younger kept rushing back to haunt her. She knew that the Black Knights were still out there, looking for her. The fact that they had left her unscathed since her encounter with Nathaniel and Emmett had unnerved her.

Finally, Ada sat up and decided that she wasn't going to get much sleep. Not after her conversation with Xavier.

She knew the odds of finding out more about her people were slim. Asking Xavier for more information had been a risky decision, one that she should have thought of before asking Steve to go with her. She shook her head at the thought.

I wish you would talk to me, she thought after looking down at the necklace Nadia had left her.

Her mother had remained absent throughout the battle of Manhattan, and ever since then. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering what the point of being able to communicate was if she remained silent. Ada had little to no idea whether she truly was the last of her kind.

"Can't sleep?"

Ada glanced at Steve in surprise when she noticed he too was awake. She shifted once again, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. The fact that they were sharing a room hadn't gone by unnoticed. She knew that if Tony found out, he would never let them live it down. More importantly, he'd blame Steve for acting upon impulse. She tried shaking off the uneasy thought, knowing that wouldn't get her anywhere.

"No," she admitted.

Steve furrowed his brows together, looking at her thoughtfully, "You and me both," he finally sighed in agreement, running a hand through his hair.

"I keep having the same dream, over and over," she murmured thoughtfully, "It always ends the same."

She chewed the bottom of her lip, picturing the people in her dreams as they fled from villages that were burned or destroyed by the Black Nights. It only just dawned on her that the humans who harbored her people were also likely caught in the crossfire. The fighting had only gotten worse when her people began fighting back in the attempts of staying alive. The nomadic group her mother lived in had been the last, living on rations and struggling to survive.

"I'm sorry." Steve's apology left her blinking in surprise, and she couldn't help but look at him warily when she noticed he hadn't stopped watching her, "All of this is… out of my league. I wasn't born in a time when aliens existed, and this…"

"Seems impossible," she finished for him, shaking her head in grim amusement, "Honestly, I wouldn't have believed my story if I first heard it. It is overwhelming."

He gave a nod of understanding. Though he didn't understand what she was going through, he understood what it felt like to be different. To be seen and treated as someone who would always stand out. Growing up with that kind of life couldn't have been easy. He was ready to say something when an explosion suddenly shook the building.

Ada's heart nearly skipped a beat as the windows rattled from the force of the impact. It could have been anything. A random science experiment gone wrong with the students. But, at the late hour they were awake, she realized it was anything but normal.

'They are here.' Ada flinched at the sound of Nadia's voice ringing in her ears.

It didn't take a genius to guess what Nadia meant by that. The moment her eyes met Steve's was when understanding swept between them. He reached for his shield, thankful he'd taken extra precaution. Even if they weren't in dangerous territory, that didn't mean he never came prepared. Ada felt the same, knowing that it was better to be safe than sorry in the situation they soon found themselves in.

"Keep the students in their rooms," she heard Scott shouting as he and the other teachers scrambled into action.

Another explosion shook the foundations, causing the whole building to shutter and groan from the impact. Glass shattered as the windows were broken from the explosion, and a piece managed to graze her arm, leaving a small cut in the process.

"Make sure they're not caught in the crossfire," she snapped after she and Steve left the room, not missing the chaos of a mixture of ages racing to the nearest room. "I'd never forgive myself if they were hurt because of me."

"That's very noble of you, Miss Stark, but I do believe most of them are capable of handling themselves." She froze at the sound of Xavier's voice, whirling around to find him watching the two of them warily, "They're after you."

"I'm afraid so," she replied, glancing over her shoulder as she caught movement from the windows observing the front lawn, "Look, I'm sorry for bringing this trouble to your school; I'll do what I can to lead them away."

She hadn't missed the look Steve was giving her. Though he desperately wanted to say something, he kept wisely kept his mouth closed. She was ready to defend these students because she brought this attack upon them. The least she could do was keep them safe.

"We'll buy as much time as we can, just get them to safety," he put in as Xavier nodded in agreement to those terms, "Look, I promised Tony that I would keep you safe," he added to Ada once they left the main entrance and reached the courtyard.

"And, you're doing an admirable job at that," she retorted with a roll of her eyes, "I'm not letting these students get hurt because I led these assholes here."

Steve opened his mouth, ready to argue when he realized it was pointless. He had seen how stubborn she was firsthand on the Hellicarrier, and during the battle. It was clear that any order he gave would fall on deaf ears.

"Alright, but you don't have to fight them alone," he reminded her, pausing as they finally spotted the men responsible for the attack.

"Looks like the rat finally came out to play," one of them sneered. Ada only glared at them; after watching what she could only assume were the ancestors of these men kill countless people throughout the centuries, she couldn't suppress the rush of anger that swept through her. These men were heavily armored and guarded with weapons. The only difference was that they used weapons from this century, and they kept their faces covered in masks, "And, she's made a little friend."

"Leave this school alone," she snapped, all-too-aware of the rage seething within her voice. She couldn't tell if that was her own anger, or that of Nadia's. It was strange; she could feel her mother's emotions as she glared at the men that stood before them, "It's me you're after."

She hadn't missed the fact that the teachers were lingering in the background. Scott and Jean Gray, another teacher they had met the other day, were keeping an eye on the men in case things got out of hand. Ada was suddenly thankful they had the resources they needed to keep these students safe. The last thing she wanted was for them to get hurt because she was the one these men were after.

"You're right, child," another practically growled out the words; the sound of a weapon preparing to fire followed, and Ada stiffened as she noticed movement out of the corner of her eyes, "You are the prize we have been looking for, after all these years."

Faster than she thought possible, Steve suddenly threw his shield as the weapon fired in their direction, blocking the attack. Ada flinched at the explosion that followed. Debris flew around them from the force of the impact, and a gaping hole from explosion opened nearby.

"She isn't a prize," Steve retorted after reaching for his shield.

"And I sure as hell won't make an easy target," she added, firing a ball of fire in their direction.

The men scattered, some ducking for cover while one of them rushed forward and tried aiming for whatever opening he spotted. Ada moved to the side just as his fist was about to collide with her chest, and she performed a roundhouse kick before he could recover from his initial surprise.

Steve was holding his own in the fight, knocking out a few of the men in the process. Not for the first time, Ada found herself silently thanking Natasha and Clint for their strict training regimes. Despite the fact that she would constantly return home with fresh injuries, it paid off in the end.

"Do you honestly believe these humans will continue defending you?" one of the men snarled. Her eyes narrowed with fury when she recognized the sound of Nathan's voice. Though it had been a little over three years since that disastrous fallout with Emmett, she had been dreading the day when she would see his father, again. She knew it was inevitable that they would cross paths, "Once they find out what you are truly capable of, they will turn their backs on you, just as the others did, centuries ago."

"You don't know that," she spat, though, that hadn't stopped the cloud of doubt from sweeping through her.

She realized with a start that he had a point. As much as she wanted to deny it, people feared the unknown. It was one of the reasons she had been terrified of telling Tony the truth. She was still afraid that he would never truly accept her, because she was different.

"Oh, I think I do," he sneered. She flinched when he grabbed her by her chin. A shiver swept through her when he lifted his mask, revealing a face that left her wishing she had finished him the day they met, "I know that they will turn on you, and hunt you down once you lose control. I'm certain your mother wants nothing more than revenge on what our people did to yours."

Her blood ran cold at the mention of her mother. It didn't take long for her to recognize the angry voice of Nadia ringing in the back of her mind. Above the sounds of fighting in the background, she could hear the angry curses Nadia spit out, amongst other incoherent words. She was angry, and, rightfully so.

'I will not let you hurt my daughter!'

Those words came out loud and clear. Nathan hadn't released his grip on her chin, and was squeezing tightly enough that it caused a burning pain. Ada's heart began pounding with panic when she spotted the sword he was unsheathing with his free hand. She realized with a start that the ground was beginning to tremble, and this time, it wasn't from the weapons they were firing.

No, I won't lose control! she silently reprimanded herself. She managed to throw her leg up high enough that she kicked Nathan in the shin, ignoring the stinging pain from the metal armor he wore. The impact of her kick was enough for him to lose his grip, dropping her in the process.

'These men deserve to burn for their crimes against our people!' Nadia's voice screamed with outrage.

I'm not going to kill them, she argued, suddenly aware of the anger that was beginning to overwhelm her. They may be assholes, but that doesn't mean I'm going to kill them out of pure rage.

"Ada!" Her eyes snapped open at the sound of Steve's voice. It took her a few seconds to realize that he'd wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back before Nathan could strike her with his sword. "Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, suddenly wishing a hole would open up and swallow her.

The men who remained standing were quickly taken care of by Scott and Jean, who managed to knock them out after finding an opening. Ada held back a sigh of relief when she realized that Nadia's voice had fallen silent once more. The rush of anger from earlier soon began to fade away, and was quickly replaced with guilt.

"Is she alright?" Scott asked after reaching them.

Ada swallowed hard as a lump formed in the back of her throat. The look of concern written across Steve's face was just another reminder that she'd gone too far. She had almost lost control, and that would have ended in disaster.

"I almost lost control," she whispered.

"You didn't," Jean reassured her, kneeling down so that they were within eye-level. Ada looked at her warily as the older woman looked back sympathetically, "You could have easily killed those men like your mother wanted, but you didn't let her."

For a moment, Ada wasn't sure what to say when she realized what Jean was implying. She had regained control when her mother tried taking over. Yet, it still felt like a loss. She couldn't shake off the feeling that maybe Nadia had been right, and that justified in wanting nothing more than to end their lives. What really took her by surprise was the fact that Jean had been able to hear her mother's voice.

"Thank you," she sighed, glancing at Steve when she caught him watching them. He was still holding her, and it took a few seconds for either of them to realize that. "Is everyone else okay?"

"The professor managed to get all the students to their rooms before the fighting broke out," Scott reported, eyeing the pair curiously when they finally pulled apart. Ada hadn't missed the fact that Steve's cheeks turned a faint shade of red, or that her own cheeks were flushing with embarrassment, "Most of the damage that was caused should be repaired within a couple of days."

"Look, I'm sorry any of this happened," she muttered, furrowing her brows together when she realized none of this would have happened had she avoided letting curiosity get the better of her, "This is all my fault."

"There's no need to blame yourself," Jean reassured her, offering a sympathetic smile, "Our school is prepared for just about anything including random attacks from knights in shining armor."

Ada almost smiled at that.

The whole idea of men dressed in armor from ancient times was ridiculous. Then again, she had seen stranger things. Knowing that these men had attacked without reason left her realizing that she needed to tread more carefully. The good news was, at least these assholes had been taken care of, and the worst of the attack was now behind them. Now, they needed to focus on cleaning up and making up for what had happened.

…

It took a few hours for them to clear everything. The front lawn and the courtyard had been littered with men who were knocked out during the fight. Once she and Steve worked together in making sure that they were cuffed and ready to be picked up by SHIELD, Xavier and a few other teachers worked at clearing the debris from their attack.

"I am sorry for what happened," Ada apologized after giving Fury a call for a cleanup crew to pick up the cuffed men. "I just wish there was more I could do to help."

"I believe you have done enough, for now," Xavier reassured her, "I only wish I had more information on your people… it seems they have their share of secrets, and aren't willing to give them up."

Ada gave a nod, all-too-aware of the secrets her mother wasn't willing to relinquish. She knew she wouldn't be able to convince her to share any knowledge after the other day. Especially given the circumstances of their sudden departure from the school.

"Thank you again, for your hospitality," she nodded her thanks.

She felt more than apprehensive after making sure that the Black Knights remaining on the school yard were dealt with. Xavier returned the gesture, fully aware that this was likely the last time they would see each other. They had already overstayed their welcome. Knowing that they were the reason behind said destruction hadn't helped matters; she just hoped that the Black Knights didn't try going after the students after they left.

Once goodbyes were said and done, she and Steve made their way back to where he'd parked his motorcycle.

"I'm glad you asked me to go with you," the Super Soldier suddenly remarked.

"Why, because you were proven right about needing to keep me safe?" Ada asked, tilting her head to one side.

As far as she was concerned, their trip had ended in disaster. She should have known better than to risk visiting a school where children were involved and could have gotten hurt.

"No… when you sacrificed yourself on the Hellicarrier, I was proven wrong. You are capable of handling yourself, and then some."

Ada blinked in disbelief when Steve said that. The look written across his face was sincere, and for the first time since that night in the cafe, she suddenly realized that maybe he wasn't that bad, after all. What surprised her more than anything was his willingness to accept the fact that she wasn't human. Considering where and when he came from, she would have thought for sure that he would start treating her differently.

"You know, Fury did assign me to help you adjust to modern technology," she pointed out. Steve rose an eyebrow, and was clearly unsure of where she was getting at with that, "If you're still up to it, I can always take time off my schedule to do just that."

It took Steve a few seconds to register what she was suggesting. For a moment, he thought of arguing. After all, Tony wouldn't take too kindly to the fact that they were spending more time together. Yet, the offer was also something he had been hoping for over the last few months since waking up from the ice.

"I'd like that," he replied after giving it some thought.

I just hope I know what I'm getting myself into, Ada thought, all-too-aware that one mistake could lead to disaster. For now, this would be a good way of getting to know one another. And, Ada was fine with that. Especially when she knew that they would likely only ever see one another as nothing more than friends, or teammates.

AN: I honestly wasn't even sure where I was going with this when I first wrote it. I knew I had an idea mapped out in my mind, but, unfortunately, I never wrote it down. Nonetheless, more of the Black Knights will be revealed in later chapters. Though they didn't get too much time in these chapters, I hope I did the X-Men some justice. It's been a while since I've seen the original movies, even though I've seen Apocalypse and the others recently. I also wanted to thank Softballpup12 for reviewing once again; your reviews are greatly appreciated :D

Softballpup12 - Thank you! I've always enjoyed them, too. I almost wished Disney owned the rights to them; they could make an awesome crossover with the X-Men and the Avengers. And, yeah, a single bed certainly would have made things awkward between them, wouldn't it? ;)