Some Things Never Sleep

by MotomamiBizcochito

"You never learn when to quit, Spider-Twerp." She told him. "Spider-Twerp?" Spider-Man questioned in disbelief as he glared. Emma smirked. "Well, you annoyingly seem to get in my way all the time. That and you don't look or sound like a man to me." She explained. "I am a man." He told her angrily. "Somehow I doubt that." The first time Emma and Peter met didn't exactly go well.

67. Chapter Sixty Two

Author's Note: I feel like it took forever to write this chapter. I'm just happy that I finally finished this chapter because it was emotionally draining and maybe one of the most difficult chapters to write in this story. Anyways...so glad it's finished and I'll try updating soon. I also want to say how excited and scared I am for Infinity War. Especially because one of the directors said the reason they can't release the title of the fourth Avengers movie is because it'll spoil Infinity War and he said we should be scared. Who says that?! I'm worried that this means a lot of people will die in the movie. I'm confident that Peter, The Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, and Bucky are safe because I know they're signed on to do other movies. I mean, I remember reading that Sebastian Stan was signed on to do a ton of movies but I don't know. The others I'm not so sure about since I don't think there's anymore Iron Man movies coming out and Chris Evans said that he's kind of finished with Captain America. There's still not any word about a Doctor Strange sequel so I don't know. I swear I'll cry if Cap or Tony dies...maybe if any one of them dies. I just get the feeling that Infinity War isn't going to end well. If Steve dies in Infinity War I'm not sure if I'll write that into the storyline of my story because I just can't do that to Emma. I don't know if she'd ever be okay if Steve died.

Avalongirl55: There might be some plot from Jessica Jones season 2 but Emma won't really be a major part of that plot. I'm not going to make it a major part of the storyline. There will probably be one part from one of the episodes in season 2 that Emma will be a part of but it won't happen for a while. I also know about the grammar and spelling mistakes which is why I went back to fix it. I was editing last chapter really late so I wasn't entirely alert when I was doing that. Thanks for the feedback.

artemis7448: There wasn't really any way Steve could've come back for her birthday but he hasn't forgotten either. There might be a small, cute surprise in the next chapter to make up for this very sad and sort of depressing chapter. He's not coming back next chapter but there may be a Steve related surprise. Don't worry because Steve's coming back soon but just not that soon.

nvnightrider9: I know everyone wants Peter and the others to meet but I'm trying to do this at my own pace because I have everything planned. I really don't want to rush through things just so everyone can finally meet each other. Believe me, I want to write the meeting between Peter and the others more than anything. It's been forever since I've written Steve into the story so I'm excited but there's just certain things that need to happen before that occurs. These next couple of chapters are kind of what needed to happen before Steve and the others could return. It was very important to me that Emma becomes completely open and honest with Peter which will happen in the next chapter. I might split the next chapter into two parts so that confrontation will probably happen in Part II because I know the next chapter is going to be super long. Anyways...you'll see what I mean at the end of this chapter.

OgFrosty: Susan Winters is the granddaughter of Jarvis. She's the love interest of Steve who I introduced right before the Age of Ultron storyline. She's a scientist who used to work for Cross but after the events of Ant Man she began working closely with Hank Pym. Now, however, she works with Tony at the compound. She's also known Tony since she was really little so Tony's kind of like an older brother to her. I originally created her because I thought Sharon and Steve together was kind of creepy and even more so because in this story Sharon is Emma's cousin. It would be super creepy if Steve and Sharon got together even though it's not technically incest. I don't hate Sharon or anything but her and Steve is just creepy in my opinion.

Inheritance1990: I think some people made the Chuck reference before but I've honestly never seen it. Since you mentioned it, I tried looking it up on Netflix and other places but I think I have to buy the seasons if I want to see them. Hopefully the show will be on Netflix someday because it sounds really interesting.

Snapplecrackles: I was kind of hesitant about writing that line Emma said about suicide but I didn't want to hold back because I felt like it was within her character to say that. She was just really pissed that the guy had beaten his wife so much that she had been driven to suicide. She felt like he was no better than Rumlow.

Sabrina Barnes: I'm glad you like the story! I know Emma deserves a ton of fluff but Part III of this story is like the darkest part of any of the parts so some darkness is inevitable. I really love Bucky too! I just wish that I could find a Bucky/OC fanfiction that I really like. I mean, I've found a couple that I love but most of them are just ones about Bucky paired off with another assassin/spy kind of character which is cool but I'm just looking for something different.

Radioactive88: Not to worry. Junior year was super hard for me too. I shudder whenever I remember chemistry class. Emma's distaste for chemistry kind of comes from me. I can honestly say that Peter will find out about Rumlow within the next two chapters and Jessica's really going to be helping her along the way with that. Jessica is really going to be a godsend in this story. I think in the near future we'll be seeing just how much Emma and Tony care for each other. They love messing with each other but deep down they do love each other. Some of that might be revealed in future flashback chapters. Emma was never really going to do well in group therapy because she isn't one to share her feelings. I just can't imagine sharing deeply personal feelings and thoughts with strangers. I suppose knowing that there's other people who feel the same way might be comforting but that kind of thing was never going to work for Emma. I also think after the events of Rumlow Tony will probably hire a therapist for the compound for individual sessions. It's not really just Emma who might need help but probably Bucky and some of the others too. I'm deeply sorry about your father by the way.

BabyPinkPuppy: I've thought of a ton of different ways to kill Rumlow. I've thought of so many different scenarios and each with a different killer in mind. I already decided on who's going to kill him but I'm still trying to decide how that person is going to kill him. I have a slight idea but I'm still working it out.

Nira: Peter's not the one who got Emma to stop killing people. It was Steve who came along way before Peter did. Emma promised Steve that she'd leave her past in the past which is what she's been doing. It's kind of hard for her but she does want to be a better person. She kind of says sometimes that it would easier killing people but that's just her sense of humor. She doesn't really mean it. Emma and Natasha are similar in a lot of ways but they're also different. Emma doesn't want to kill people anymore if she doesn't have to. If it came down to it she would but she's really trying to be a better person. Not just for Steve and Peter but for herself too. She hardly ever talks about it but Emma didn't want to kill people. It was just survival to her but she's not in Hydra anymore. The Avengers don't want her to be a killer for them and Emma's fine with not killing people.

Shelby Carrizales: I've listened to some AURORA while writing this but I haven't really sat down and really listened. I'll try to one of these days. She does have a really amazing and beautiful voice though.

Keystone: I just want to say that all the Defenders won't be making an appearance for some time in the story since this part of the story is focused on Rumlow and then the next part will be focused on Infinity War. I totally get what you mean about Peter's Spidey sense. I've been wanting to introduce it for some time but I wanted the moment to be super important. I have it planned for when more stuff with Rumlow happens which will be soon. Thank you for giving me more insight on the Spidey sense because I was very nervous about writing it but now I think I have a better idea how to go about that. To answer your second review, Emma and Peter won't be a huge part of Jessica Jones season 2. This part is focusing on the Rumlow problem but there will be some scenes and like you said I'll probably include chapters where Emma and Peter's views of the world are different. Peter is a very black and white kind of guy like Steve but Emma sees things in gray so that's definitely going to be seen within this story. Peter will be having really big Spider-Man moments within Part III but the action scenes have been kind of delayed because I've been focusing on Emma's flashbacks of Rumlow. They hit a rough patch in the next couple of chapters but they'll eventually make up and Rumlow will make a real return not too long after. Jessica and Emma are definitely going to be good for each other. Emma has some female figures to look up to like Darcy, Pepper, Susan, and Natasha but Jessica's really the only one who has been through the same exact things that Emma has. I think Jessica will kind of become a mentor to Emma like Tony's a mentor to Peter.

Thanks for all the reviews and sorry for not answering all of them but I just figured you'd want the new chapter. The next update might take a little longer than usual because I'm not going to be able to work on this at all tomorrow because of the HAIM concert which I'm excited for.

WARNING for some sexual situations and mentions of rape in this chapter. Just wanted to let you guys know just in case.

---

Emma stood outside the run down apartment building, looking between her phone and the building as she tried to make sure she had the right building. She was back in Hell's Kitchen this week but this time she wasn't going to that ridiculous therapy session. After meeting the mysterious Jessica Jones at last week's meeting, Emma had decided that she wanted to officially meet Jessica in a more private setting. The name Jessica Jones had sounded very familiar when Emma first heard the name but it wasn't until she looked her up online that she discovered why that was. Jessica Jones was a vigilante/private investigator that was quite famous in Hell's Kitchen after killing a sadistic, telepathic asshole who called himself Kilgrave. God, Emma really hated telepathy. Jessica was unofficially a Defender which seemed to be a team of people in Hell's Kitchen. Emma liked to think of them as a poor man's Avengers. She had also seen some video of the nature of Jessica's abilities and determined that the woman had super strength and flying capabilities although Emma was unsure if Jessica also had an enhanced healing factor like she did.

Jessica had been on her mind for a while but Emma had chosen not to tell Peter or anyone else about her. She was probably already on Tony's radar so Emma didn't really see the point and Peter would probably want to tag along so he could meet another enhanced individual but that's not the reason Emma wanted to meet Jessica. She wanted to meet Jessica so she could see whether or not the older woman could help her with her current dilemma. Emma couldn't do that with Peter there so the only way to do this was to do this alone. He was busy crime fighting anyways so he wasn't likely to ask questions about where she was going off to. Not that Emma answered to him. She was a sixteen year old girl perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

The blonde slipped into the apartment building and as soon as Emma stepped foot into it, she made a guess that the building was probably invested with rats. Not that she was judging but it had been a while since she was forced to live in these conditions. The last time was at the Hydra base in Argentina but that base had been in even worse condition than this. Emma stepped into the elevator and punched in one of the buttons for the floor that Jessica's apartment was on. She had to admit she was a bit interested in learning more about Jessica but not just her super powers but her career choice. Private Investigator? Emma would be the world's best PI if she chose that as an occupation. Tracking down assholes was one of Emma's many talents.

She got out of the elevator and looked down the hall, spotting the exact door she was looking for. The window of the door read 'Alias Investigations' so Emma knew she had the right place. She walked down the hall, hearing various conversations and other things from inside the other apartments. Emma scrunched her nose up in disgust when she heard a couple having sex in one of the apartments. That was one of the disadvantages of having enhanced hearing and especially when living with other people. Emma didn't want to count the times she had heard way too much going on in from inside Tony and Pepper's room or Jane and Thor's room. It was enough to make Emma want to throw up right here and now. She finally reached the door and didn't hesitate in knocking on it. Emma prayed for anything that would distract her from the thought of Tony having sex.

Old people having sex was so disgusting.

"What is it?" A disgruntled sounding voice, from inside, said. Emma smirked as she then prepared herself to answer.

"I'm here to talk to Jessica Jones…about an investigation?" Emma said, her voice full of obliviousness.

"Fine. Come in. Make it quick." Jessica Jones said and Emma smiled in satisfaction before she feigned an innocent look before opening the door and walking into the apartment. She closed the door behind her and smiled brightly at the dark haired woman sitting at her desk. Jessica looked at the blonde teenager for a moment, clearly confused, before rolling her eyes.

"Oh, God. Did they send you over here to make me go to another one of those stupid meetings?" Jessica asked flatly. "I thought the message was clear that I'm not interested in group therapy. I hope you know that you've just wasted a ton of time commuting from whatever rich kid neighborhood you live in." Jessica thought that her bitchy tone might've put the teenager off and sent her running but if anything the teenage girl just seemed delighted. Weird kid, Jessica thought to herself.

"Nope. I'm here of my own free will." Emma told Jessica as she approached the woman's desk while subtly observing the apartment. It certainly didn't seem any different from the hallway. The apartment was incredibly messy but also barren. There were no framed pictures decorating the walls and there was seemingly no other personal items either. All Emma saw was a ratty looking couch that was probably salvaged from the street, a smaller desk positioned off to the side, and Jessica's desk where she was sitting at. Various papers were scatted across the desk and there was even a half empty bottle of whiskey perched right in the middle of the desk. Emma saw what looked to be like notes and a picture hanging from a bulletin board behind Jessica. It was clear to Emma that the older woman was obsessing over something that was a little above normal. The medical records hanging from the wall told her that much.

"Why's that? You didn't lose your cat, did you?" Jessica as she narrowed her eyes at the blonde. She didn't know why but there was just something off about the girl. Jessica wasn't sure why because the girl looked like an ordinary teenager although she was sure that the girl was probably popular judging by her clothing and looks. She was the kind of pretty that turned heads just like Trish had been back in high school. Jessica knew that she was probably also the kind of girl she hated back then too. Still…there was something off about the girl's innocent smile. The smile didn't seem entirely innocent to Jessica. "I don't know if you realize this but I'm not a kitty tracker."

"I know. You investigate real cases…but you're also a vigilante by night. It doesn't really seem like you're following the Sokovia Accords by the way." Emma told her as she made herself at home and took the seat in front of Jessica's desk. "You're from that lame group of superheroes. The Defenders. That's a stupid name." Jessica sneered at her.

"No more stupid than the Avengers." Jessica retorted but she was still wondering what the hell this kid's problem was. She came into her apartment, talking about complete and utter nonsense for no particular reason, at all. Emma smirked. "It's Emma, right?"

"You're not wrong there." Emma quipped before leaning forward in her seat, growing serious again. Jessica noticed how she pointedly ignored the question about her name. "I quit the group too. It was a waste of time. Listening to some guy who beats his wife? Yeah, right. I'd rather take my chances."

"No kidding." Jessica said in a suspicious tone. She was suspicious because one moment the girl sounded completely innocent and almost oblivious but then the next minute, she sounded like the bitter girl she had been back in the meeting. "What was a kid your age doing there anyways? You don't seem old enough to have anger issues."

"I can be temperamental at times. My guardian made me go because he's rich and thinks everything can be cured with therapy. He's an idiot." Emma said as she shrugged but Jessica wasn't convinced. Maybe it was because she was suspicious of everyone or maybe it was because this girl was just weird. "What about you? You've been having problems with rage lately? You said you had a court card? I'm guessing you didn't want to be there either." Jessica scoffed as she crossed her arms.

"You can't bullshit me, kid. I'm a PI so I know what snooping around looks like." Jessica told her bluntly and Emma smiled at her bluntness. It seemed like she had been right. Jessica Jones really was interesting.

"Fine. I'm just curious." Emma said in a tone of nonchalance. Jessica clenched her jaw because she was honestly pissed off by this girl's official statement. She came here because she was curious? Jessica was under all this stress with getting to the bottom of this IGH thing and now there was also that crazy psycho who was out murdering people. So she was a little annoyed by the fact that this kid actually had the nerve to come around to her apartment because she was curious.

"Well, you better get a fucking move on then because I've got too much shit to do. The last thing on my mind is satisfying your stupid curiosity." Jessica snapped, feeling the anger boil inside her. The dark haired woman expected the blonde to flee out of the apartment in fear but the teenager looked impressed as she sat there, unmoving in her seat.

"So much anger." Emma commented, unfazed by Jessica's scary display. Jessica sighed as she tiredly ran her hand over her face.

"Look, I don't know what you want but I'm not in the mood to show you my little party tricks if that's what you're interested in." Jessica said, sounding exhausted as she then grabbed the large bottle of whiskey on her desk before unscrewing the lid. Emma watched curiously as the dark haired woman began almost chugging the bottle. Wow, Emma thought to herself, not even Tony was that heavy of a drink. He probably drank too much scotch but she had never seen him drink it out of the bottle like that. Bitter, cynical, and an alcoholic? Emma already liked Jessica a whole lot better than most of the Avengers. At least she was a realist unlike some of them. She didn't pretend to be someone that she wasn't.

"That's not what I want." Emma told her and Jessica raised an eyebrow questioningly at her as she put her bottle back down on the table.

"Isn't it?" Jessica questioned and Emma sighed.

"I just liked a lot of the stuff you said at the meeting." Emma admitted even though it was hard for her to admit that. Usually Emma wouldn't admit to something like that but she had a feeling that Jessica was possibly someone who would understand. She could probably understand her better than the people that knew her best. Emma loved Peter but there was even some things that he couldn't understand about her.

"What? Are you the kind of fucked up person who gets off on terrible stuff happening to other people?" Jessica asked sarcastically but Emma wasn't offended.

"No. I just…sort of…related to some of it. Most of it actually." Emma tried to tell her but the words were tough to get out because she wasn't used to confiding in strangers. She wasn't even used to confiding in people she actually did know. "Look, I'm not good at this talking about trauma thing. God, I feel so stupid." Jessica gave her a disbelieving look.

"What? You're telling me that you've been experimented on too? Yeah, right." Jessica told her, not looking to believe her at all. Emma wasn't worried about whether or not the older woman believed her. She'd see for herself soon enough, Emma thought to herself.

"Fine. Don't believe me." Emma said shortly before grabbing the woman's beloved bottle of booze and standing up from her chair. Jessica narrowed her eyes at the girl, not liking whatever game this kid was playing. She really didn't have the temperament for this. This was why Jessica had sworn off ever having kids. They were way too much trouble and not to mention annoying.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jessica asked her, voice low and dangerous but Emma didn't feel threatened. She just smirked at the annoyed looking woman.

"You know...you shouldn't have addictions. You're just giving power to all your weaknesses." Emma told her smugly and Jessica glared at her.

"Don't think just because you're a kid that I won't hit you." Jessica hissed. "Now hand over that bottle now or I'm going to kick your ass. God…I sound like someone's alcoholic dad."

"Why don't you come over here and get it, Jessica." Emma said but her tone wasn't teasing…it was daring. It was like Emma was daring Jessica to reach over and take the bottle from her.

"What are you? Five?" Jessica said sarcastically, her glare cold and angry. "Now give me the damn bottle."

"I don't think I will." Emma said in that same smug tone as she did before which only pissed Jessica off more. "I've never had alcohol before and I'm very curious."

Jessica had finally had enough of this annoying kid's antics so with one last frustrated growl, she reached over and made a move to grab the bottle. The amount of alcohol she had already consumed was probably the reason she missed. Weirdly enough, the blonde didn't seem to move away from her as Jessica made another move to grab the bottle. This time, however, Jessica actually managed to grasp the neck of the bottle in her hands. Feeling victorious, Jessica tugged the bottle away from Emma. She was hoping to be able to finally snatch it away from her but was perplexed when the bottle didn't leave the teenager's grip. The blonde smirked at Jessica as she tugged it back, easily snatching it back from Jessica's grip. Jessica stared at the girl with a stunned look on her face. What the hell? How was this teenage girl stronger than her? Oh shit…did this mean that the girl was from IGH or something? Maybe that psycho sent her here in her place.

"What are you?" Jessica asked Emma breathlessly.

"What are you?" Emma shot back at her but Jessica just shook her head as she took a step back, completely forgetting about her prized bottle of booze.

"Are you from IGH? Did you know Robert Coleman? Did that psycho send you here?" Jessica asked her rapidly, her surprised look morphing back into one of suspicion. Emma gave her a confused look.

"IGH? What the hell's that?" Emma questioned and Jessica analyzed the look on Emma's face. She could see that the blonde clearly had no idea what IGH was. So if she wasn't from IGH then where was she from? How was she stronger than her?

"IGH is the reason I'm like this." Jessica told her quickly before moving on. "Who's to blame for the reason you're like this? Super strength, I'm guessing?" Emma shrugged.

"Not to mention flying." Emma added before cutting to the chase. "I have to admit I've never heard of this IGH place. My experimentation was brought to you by Hydra." Jessica gave her a confused look.

"Hydra? You mean the weird Nazi organization?" Jessica questioned and Emma nodded.

"Pretty much." Emma answered and Jessica took another look at her because for some reason she felt like this girl was even more suspicious to her.

"Wait a second. Hydra…blonde hair…super strength...and flying?" Jessica said as everything began to click for her. "You're the Viper Assassin, aren't you?" Emma didn't look surprised by Jessica's inquiry. She was almost impressed.

"I'm impressed, Jessica. I had to practically spell it out for Spider-Twerp." Emma told her and Jessica seemed slightly on edge but she just stood there and silently watched the blonde. She wasn't sure what the girl wanted. Jessica didn't know if the Viper Assassin was there about the Accords or what. She was an Avenger after all, wasn't she? The Avengers probably weren't a big fan of hers since they didn't seem to like Vigilantes these days. Captain America's faction of Avengers were evidence of that since the faction were on the run somewhere.

"What do you want? Are you here about the Sokovia Accords?" Jessica questioned, not liking whatever game this girl was playing. She was sick and tired of games. "Because you don't have to worry. I only save the world when my own life is on the line." Emma just shook her head.

"I'm not here about the Accords. I don't care what Stark says. The Accords are a completely and utter waste of time and energy." Emma told her honestly. "I was being honest before when I said I was curious."

"Why are you so curious? You probably live in that facility with all those other Avengers. It's not like you've never met another "Gifted" person before." Jessica told her and Emma scrunched her nose up in disgust.

"Gifted? Are people seriously calling us that?" Emma questioned and Jessica shrugged.

"I could really give a shit less." The older woman deadpanned and Emma sighed before setting the bottle of booze back down on the desk.

"Look, that stuff you said in the meeting last week…it just felt like you were telling everyone my own story." Emma admitted quietly and Jessica watched the young girl. She wouldn't really admit it but the teenage girl was kind of pulling at her heartstrings. Jessica wasn't sure if it was because the girl kind of reminded her of Hope. Hope had been in dire need of help too and way too young to have been put through all the shit Kilgrave had put her through. Hope had a haunted look on her face just like this girl did. It rubbed Jessica the wrong way because she had failed Hope.

"I didn't realize anyone's life could be as fucked up as mine." Jessica said dryly and Emma laughed although there was no humor in her eyes.

"Well, I thought the same thing until you started talking at the meeting." Emma told her before a questioning look came over her face. Ever since she heard Jessica at that meeting, she couldn't get what the older woman said out of her head. "How did you say that in public? Why would you even say that? Why would you let everyone know what happened to you?" Jessica gave her a confused look.

"Are you talking about me saying that I was raped?" Jessica asked her in disbelief and Emma flinched at the word. The dark haired woman raised an eyebrow at her. It was almost like the word rape was like the name 'Voldemort' or something to her. Jessica instantly felt a bit sorry for the girl because she seemed very young. She was probably around fifteen or sixteen. Much younger than she would've imagined the Viper Assassin being but it also made Jessica think that the teenager must've been even younger when it happened to her.

"How can you just admit it to strangers? I can't even admit it to the people that I care about." Emma said quietly.

"You're admitting it to me and I'm a stranger." Jessica pointed out and Emma groaned in frustration, running a hand through her blonde hair.

"This is different. You've been…you know." Emma said, unable to bring herself to say the word. "Besides…I don't know you so it's not like I care if you judge me."

"Can you really not say the word rape?" Jessica questioned and Emma glared at her.

"It's not rape if I let it happen to me." Emma said bitterly and Jessica just stared at the young girl, not really believing what she was hearing. "I'm stronger than a normal human. I could've stopped it but I didn't."

"Okay. If it wasn't rape then how old were you when it happened? Did you even want to have sex?" Jessica asked her bluntly and Emma became uncomfortable.

"Thirteen and of course not. I didn't want to but I still let it happen." Emma admitted and an enraged look came over the older woman's face. Thirteen? Jessica suddenly felt sick although she knew this happened all the time, especially when young girls were growing up in places frequented by a lot of older men. She knew this because of Trish. Trish went through the same thing when she was still in the Hollywood scene. "I had all the power to stop it but I didn't."

"No, that's definitely rape. There's no way you could've possibly consented even if you wanted to. Whoever did this to you is a fucking pedophile." Jessica told her and Emma looked down. Jessica sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for being harsh but I'm assuming you came here because you want to know how to tell people and I don't have any answers for you. My life's too fucked up for me to be giving advice to anyone."

"Wow, that's a lot of help." Emma said sarcastically and Jessica glared at her.

"Look, you're the one that came here hunting me down so I can give you advice. It's not my fault you don't like like my rape advice…wait that sounds like a creepy thing to say to a teenager." Jessica said and Emma just rolled her eyes. Jessica realized that she might've been a little unnecessarily harsh on the girl. She knew that this wasn't a normal conversation for two strangers to have but obviously the girl must've been having a lot of issues if she forced herself to come down here to seek advice. Jessica sighed again. "The only thing I can tell you is to not let this asshole have control over your life."

Emma considered what Jessica just said. Not letting Rumlow having any control over her life seemed like a give in. That what she was trying to do but the question was how to to do that. How could she bring herself to stop seeing him wherever she turned? How was she supposed to stop having nightmares about him? Lately he had been inside her mind and Emma couldn't get him out. He was like a parasite that she couldn't get rid of. Emma suddenly felt like coming here had been a bad idea.

"I need to leave." Emma said after a moment of silence. She didn't know why she had come here in the first place. Emma revealed who she was to Jessica because she wanted to gain her trust but now Emma was starting to regret it. What if Jessica tried to use it against her to blackmail her? What if Jessica told people Emma knew about how she was raped? No, this was a big mistake. Jessica frowned at the anxious looking blonde.

"Wait, you don't have to go." Jessica said, wondering if she had said something really wrong. Hogarth was always telling her how she lacked people skills.

"Just forget I was ever here." Emma muttered before quickly leaving. Jessica called out the teenager's name but the blonde ignored her as she quickly left the apartment. Jessica's voice was a muffled echo as Emma ran down the hallway. She didn't even wait for the elevator, instead choosing to run down the stairs. Emma felt dizzy…like the whole world was spinning around her and she was the only one still standing up.

"You know that she can't help you. No one can help you." Rumlow voice whispered in her ear the moment she stepped out of the building. Emma thought that the fresh air might make her feel better but she was wrong. She should've known that there wasn't any fresh air in New York and especially not in Hell's Kitchen.

Shut up! Emma thought as she struggled to get a grip on reality. It was tough to know what was and wasn't real anymore. He felt so real and Emma always felt like he was there watching her when she walked outside. She felt like he might've been somewhere behind her, following her. Logically she knew she was being paranoid but Emma couldn't help it. Volkov and other night with the weapons made everything so much worse. She knew he was getting closer and the others were naïve enough to think that she was safe. Emma knew better. She knew Rumlow would find a way to get to her if it was the last thing he did. She wasn't safe…she never was.

"How do you think you're going to overcome me? You can't even admit what I did to you." He whispered in that same taunting tone and Emma whipped around. She tried to spot him in the crowd of people but she couldn't. She shook her head at her own stupidity. What was she thinking? He wasn't there. Emma was just imagining all of this because she was doing exactly what Jessica told her not to do. She was letting Rumlow have control over her. It was just so hard to let him not have control over her.

"Why don't you tell him, Princess? Tell him all about what we did." Emma felt like she couldn't breath. Everything felt so overwhelming to her. She wondered why she couldn't just have one day without hearing his voice or thinking she had seen his face within the crowd.

"Tell him about all the fun we had together. Tell him about the time I was inside of you." He said, his voice malicious and Emma tried taking deep breaths because she was not going to have a mental break down in the middle of the street. She could almost hear him chuckling.

"You and I both know why you won't tell him. It's because you know that he won't want you anymore." Rumlow told her and Emma tried to ignore him but he was right. She knew this was only her fucked up mind talking but it was true. Her biggest fear in telling Peter was that he'd leave her. Emma wouldn't blame him. He was only a sixteen year old boy so how could he be expected to deal with something like this? There was no way Peter would be cool with it. He probably thought she was a virgin like him so how was he going to react to the news that she wasn't? She was going to make him regret not picking Betty Brant or Liz Allan over her.

Peter had so many better options than her and Emma felt like he was going to be disappointed when she told him the truth. He was going to feel like he got cheated out of having a normal nice girlfriend who wasn't the most fucked up person in the world. She knew he said he wanted to wait to have sex but men said a lot of things, didn't they? Emma was just scared that all the things he said to her about loving and never leaving her weren't going to matter anymore when she told him.

Emma couldn't bear to keep thinking about this or to hear his voice in her head so she chose the last possible option. She took her iPod out and put her ear buds into her ears. Emma chose one of the playlists she had made a long time ago, settling for the one devised of loud and upbeat music. Her iPod began playing 'Curveballs' by the Wombats and Emma turned up the volume until she couldn't even hear the loud traffic. Emma felt like she was already losing it and she didn't even know if Jessica Jones could help her. Why was she so messed up? Emma knew why but to prevent herself from thinking about it, she just kept turning the volume up louder and louder. Emma didn't want to hear her own thoughts anymore.

---

Not everything at her birthday party had gone well in her opinion. Emma still wished that she could erase her birthday party from her mind. While it had been a quiet affair, it was still more than she had originally dreaded. Everything would've been fine if it wasn't for Tony. She had gotten quite a few books and art supplies from her friends and family but what drove Emma crazy was what Tony had gotten her. The idiot had actually bought her an 2018 Audi R8 which was a luxury sports car. The car was the same green as her Viper Assassin suit, because Tony thought he was clever, with black leather seats. The only thing that impressed Emma was the stereo system and how fast it could go but she still wasn't sure about the car.

It had been a couple days since the ordeal with Jessica and Emma wasn't sure about going back to Jessica's apartment. Obviously the woman was as bitchy and hard to reach as Emma was so she wasn't going to hold that against her. Emma thought that Jessica could still help her but first she just needed to figure out how to accept the fact that she had been raped. It sounded stupid but Emma could never really admit it to herself. What was that saying? The first step was admitting that you had a problem. Emma was pretty sure that mostly applied to addicts but she figured she could apply it to herself as well.

"This is such a cool car!" Peter exclaimed as she drove them both to school. She had obtained her driver's license not long after the birthday party. Emma was a bit disappointed because she thought stealing cars and driving without a license was more fun.

"I guess." Emma muttered as she made a turn. Peter had tried to change the song earlier but Emma told him if he wanted to keep his hand then he wouldn't touch the stereo. She didn't think his music taste was great since he seemed to like Maroon 5 and the Weeknd so much. Seriously? What guy loved Maroon 5? Peter was so weird. The next thing she would find out is that he also loved Taylor Swift or Shawn Mendes. Emma would dump him if he turned out to be a Taylor Swift fan. That was just disgusting.

"Maybe I can drive it?" Peter said hopefully and Emma looked at him like he was crazy.

"I'm never letting you drive this car. I still remember what you did to Flash's car." Emma told him and Peter pouted.

"That was an accident and we were in a rush." Peter said defensively. "Besides…I've practiced driving with May loads of times since then." Emma scoffed.

"What? Have you tried driving through a Whole Foods parking lot instead of the Rite-Aid one?" Emma asked sarcastically. "You're a terrible driver, Parker. Literally the worst one I've ever seen. You've flunked two driving tests."

"So I'm still learning the ropes." Peter said as he blushed. He wanted to prove to Emma that he was capable of driving. That's what boyfriends were supposed to do, weren't they? Boyfriends were supposed to drive their girlfriend to places. "But I'll get my license soon enough." Emma laughed and Peter glared at her.

"I'll believe that when I see it." Emma told him and Peter glowered.

"How are you so great at driving anyways? It's annoying when you're good at everything." Peter replied and Emma shrugged.

"I'm good at driving because I've been driving since I was seven." Emma said and Peter crossed his arms.

"I just want you to know that I'm not incapable of doing adult things." Peter said quietly and Emma figured that this was his male ego again. She probably would never completely understand men but she understood them a little. She spent more time around them, after all, but there was still some confusion. Even some of the stuff her grandfather did confused her.

"Peter, it's fine. I don't care whether or not you can drive. It's not a big deal." Emma told him as she continued to drive. "I mean, it's not like this a dick measuring contest. It's just a car." Peter gave her a look of disbelief.

"Why do you say things like that?" Peter questioned, blushing even more than before. Emma sighed as she tried thinking of something comforting to say. What would Steve say in this situation? He'd probably give her one of those encouraging smiles and tell her that she was going to do great.

"Look, Peter, you're going to get your driver's license. Just don't think too much about it." Emma told him and Peter frowned.

"How can I not think about it? This is my driver's license for Christ's sake!" He exclaimed.

"Do you really need to drive? We live in New York, after all." Emma told him before continuing. "Your problem is that you're making too much of a deal out of the whole thing. That's the reason you get so nervous and then fuck the whole test up. If you just tried not to make such a huge deal out of it then you'd probably pass." Peter considered her somewhat harsh but also honest words. Emma never had a knack for sugar coating things.

"I guess you're right." Peter told her after he considered her words. "I promise that I'll get my driver's license soon. I'll try not to overthink it." Emma smiled at him.

"Good." Emma told him and Peter smiled back at her, his brown eyes gleaming with hope.

"Then you'll let me drive your car?" Peter asked her and Emma immediately shook her head.

"There's now way in hell I'm ever letting you drive this car. Driver's license or not." Emma told him and Peter huffed, pouting again. Emma always thought he was cute when he was pouting like that.

"Why not?!" Peter whined and Emma smirked. "Why won't you let me drive your car? Don't you love me?" Emma scoffed.

"I also love the Haim sisters but I'm not about let them drive around in my car and I bet they drive way better than you." Emma told Peter teasingly but he wasn't upset. He was kind of expecting Emma to say that even though she said she didn't care about the stupid car Tony had gotten her. Emma clearly liked the car.

"I'm an amazing driver." Peter mumbled and Emma smiled because she knew better than that. Peter was good at a lot of things but driving was not one of them. Emma finally pulled into the school parking lot as various students stared in awe at the nice car. Peter blushed shyly from the attention but secretly he felt kind of cool to be in a car like this one.

"What are you going to say if people ask where you got the car?" Peter asked her curiously and Emma smirked.

"I'll just tell them I'm a drug dealer. Why else would a sixteen year old have a car like this?" Emma said and Peter really wasn't sure if she was being serious or not. He hoped that she wasn't being serious.

"You're not really going to say that, are you?" Peter asked nervously and Emma rolled her eyes.

"Relax, Parker, I'll just tell them that I have a really greedy and rich grandfather like Paul Getty who gave me this car as compensation for being absent for my entire childhood." Emma told Peter seriously. "That's not unreasonable. Everyone at this school probably has rich relatives except for scholarship kids like you. How do you think Flash got in? The kid's a lost cause."

"Okay…rich grandfather." Peter said as he processed that information. Emma just smiled at him before she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Peter immediately melted into the kiss as he kissed her back, wanting to pull her in closely so that they could extend this kissing session before school started. He made a move to do so but Emma pulled away. Peter gave her a disappointed look.

"Why did you stop?" Peter whined and Emma gave him an amused look.

"Yeah, try whining…because that's hot." Emma said sarcastically although she honestly thought his whining was kind of cute. Peter was immature a lot of the time but that didn't really annoy her like it annoyed her when other people acted the same way. It was cute on Peter. He continued giving her those puppy dog eyes and Emma groaned. God, she never took Peter for the begging type. "Fine. If you come to my room after your Spider-Man thing tonight then maybe, and I mean maybe, we can continue this then." Emma laughed when she saw the excited look on his face.

"Okay." He said happily and Emma rolled her eyes although she was still amused by his dorkiness. She didn't say anything else as she got out of the car. Peter followed suit, closing the door behind him but was stopped in his steps when he heard someone calling out his name. He glowered when he saw Flash Thompson snickering at him with his two cronies, Charles and Jason, behind him. Emma was immediately reminded of Draco Malfoy with his two little body guards, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Penis Parker! You have to have your girlfriend drive you to school?!" Flash said loudly so the whole school could hear. "Penis Parker can't pass his driving test! How pathetic!" Peter blushed as everyone in the school parking lot turned to stare at them. Emma didn't really understand that. How could Peter suddenly be so confident and bold when he was in the Spider-Man suit but when it came to school and everything else, he'd shrink back. He was stronger than that. Emma clenched her jaw as she turned to look back at Flash, fixing him with her best death glare.

"Oh shut up, you jealous little virgin." Emma snapped at him and Flash stared at her in shock. She soon saw his cheeks becoming pink as he looked back at her.

"I-I-I'm not a v-virgin." Flash stammered and Emma gave him a look of disbelief. "I have sex all the time." Emma scoffed because she honestly believed in ghosts more than in the fact that Flash got laid on a regular basis let alone ever having sex.

"Yeah, right. The day you have sex is the day Peter passes his driving test." Emma told Flash before linking arms with Peter who looked very confused and bewildered by what just happened. She could hear Flash in the background, trying to reassure his friends that he had plenty of sex but she doubted that they believed him.

"Does that mean that you don't think I'll ever pass my driving test?" Peter asked her in a hurt tone but Emma just smirked at him.

"No, it means that I think you'll pass your driving test but not until some sad and lonely driving instructor with low self-esteem passes you." Emma told Peter and the teenage boy smiled at her as they made their way inside the school. He loved Emma's subtle and clever insults. She had a comeback for everything.

"I love you." He told her and Emma smiled.

"I know."

---

"Guys, did you hear about the party at Mitchell Ori's house tomorrow night?" Ned asked her and Peter as they worked on an assignment in history class. Emma was busy with her assignment so she barely looked up when she heard Ned talk. Peter gave his best friend a curious look.

"Mitchell Ori? You mean, the super popular senior who's the quarterback and only dates cheerleaders?" Peter asked him and Ned nodded furiously.

"His dad is also that senator Stan Ori so his family's, like, super rich." Ned told them and Emma rolled her eyes.

"Oh, great. Another politician…just what the world needs. His son's no doubt a little politician in the making, wanting to please daddy. He's probably hoping to go to some boring ass school like Harvard or Yale." Emma deadpanned as she continued to focus on her work but Ned barely spared her a glance as he turned back to Peter.

"Why are you even telling us about this party, Ned?" Peter asked him. "He thinks we're a bunch of nerds. Remember Freshman year? He's the one who came up with the name Penis Parker. Flash just stole it from him." Emma raised an eyebrow at this.

"You mean that Flash didn't even come up with that lame insult himself? He's even more pathetic than I thought." Emma told them and Peter smiled because he knew that was her way of making him feel better.

"Well, he's inviting us to the party tomorrow." Ned told them and Peter gave his friend a surprised look.

"What? How? I mean…why us? I thought we were lame and stupid according to him." Peter told Ned, honestly shocked by this latest development. Ned blushed a little before awkwardly clearing his throat.

"This is where it kind of gets complicated." Ned told them before continuing. "We were invited by Lexi Alvarez, one of the cheerleaders, who said that Mitchell is inviting Emma to the party. She also said that we're invited too…technically. Since we're Emma's friends and everything." Peter gave Ned a confused look and Emma had to admit she didn't like where Ned was going with this.

"Emma's invited? Why would she be invited?" Peter asked him and Ned laughed nervously. Emma narrowed her eyes suspiciously because she knew he was up to something. That kid was even worse at keeping a poker face than Peter was.

"See, the thing is that Mitchell kind of has a crush on Emma. Lexi says that Mitchell thinks she's really hot." Ned said quietly and Peter's face flushed red with anger while Emma just looked bored. She could care less if some dickhead thought she was hot.

"What?!" Peter exclaimed in a hush tone. They were still in history class, after all. "This guy's inviting Emma to a party because he wants to date her?!" Ned suddenly looked hesitant.

"I don't think he wants to date her so much as to do other things with her." Ned said, looking slightly embarrassed but Peter seemed pissed off. Emma rolled her eyes at the dark haired boy.

"Just say it for what it is. He wants to invite me to this stupid party so that he can fuck me." Emma said bluntly which caused Ned to blush but for the first Peter didn't care about her crudeness. He was livid. This very good looking and popular guy wanted to have sex with his girlfriend…his girlfriend. Peter knew that he was being slightly possessive but he couldn't help it. He still didn't know why Emma picked him of all guys. She was beautiful and could have any guy she wanted but somehow she had picked him. Peter Parker who was nerdy and wasn't even experienced when it came to girls. Peter had heard rumors about how experienced Mitchell was when it came to things like kissing and sex. Sometimes Peter still didn't know if he was kissing Emma the right way and he still got embarrassed whenever he heard the word sex. He knew it was immature which only made him feel worse since Emma was incredibly mature. She was the most grown up person he had ever met.

"He can't do that!" Peter hissed, his eyes flashing with anger. "Doesn't he know that Emma's my girlfriend?"

"Some people don't care about things like that, Peter." Emma told Peter who only looked more pissed off but not at her. She didn't know what it was but something about a jealous Peter really did it for her. Emma felt the familiar feeling of desire pooling in her lower stomach as she stared at him. It was a weird thing to feel so turned on about but she couldn't help it.

"So…I was thinking that maybe we should go to this party." Ned said as he tried to ignore the weirdness between Peter and Emma. Peter who just seemed angry about this thing with Mitchell and Emma who staring at Peter with an almost longingness in her eyes. Yeah, they were really weird sometimes. Peter gave Ned a look of disbelief.

"What?" Peter questioned. "You want to go to a party where some guy wants to sleep with my girlfriend?!" Ned blushed.

"Well, I mean it's not like Emma would really do that. I'm just saying that we should take advantage of the situation." Ned told them but Peter looked furious at Ned.

"So you're saying we should pimp out my girlfriend so we can go to this party?!" Peter whispered angrily to Ned who had an apologetic look on his face.

"Well, when you say it like that it sounds really bad." Ned told him but Emma just rolled her eyes.

"Do you guys really want to go to this stupid party?" Emma asked them and the two teenage boys stared at her.

"Yes." Ned replied without hesitation and Peter glared at him.

"Peter?" Emma questioned because she knew that Peter liked going to parties…that he liked feeling like he belonged. Emma didn't really care one way or the other if her peers accepted her but this seemed to matter to him and she did care about him.

"I'd like to go this party but not if this guy's only inviting us because he wants you." Peter told her honestly and Emma just smiled at him.

"Peter, I'm not interested in this entitled asshole. I don't even know who the hell he is." Emma told Peter sincerely.

"Mitchell's only the most popular guy in the school. Everyone knows who he is." Ned interjected but became silent when both Emma and Peter glared at him. Emma turned back to face Peter.

"We can go to this party if you want. You don't need to worry about Michael Orin. The only boy I want is you. Besides…you're always making dates centered around what I want to do. I want to do the same with you and I know you like parties." Emma told Peter and the teenage boy felt his heart race as her stunning blue eyes locked onto his. He still couldn't believe that he was the one she picked…that she'd pick him over Mitchell Ori. No one picked anyone over Mitchell Ori but Emma did because she was just that special. There wasn't anyone in the world like Emma Rogers.

"It's Mitchell Ori actually." Ned interjected again and Emma sneered at him although Peter was just delighted by what Emma just said. He knew that she hated spending a lot of time around their classmates so he knew that what she said was as close to a romantic declaration of love that he was going to get. There was no doubt in Peter's mind that she loved him if she was willing to go to a high school party with him.

"I could really give a shit less."

---

"Thank you for agreeing to go to the party with me." Peter told Emma as they laid across her bed. They had just finished up working on their chemistry homework after Peter's long night of crime fighting. Apparently Emma was still suspended from her Viper Assassin activities but she didn't really mind that much. At least this way they had a lot more to talk about when he came back to her.

"It's not a big deal." Emma told him nonchalantly but Peter knew she was just pretending like it was nothing to her. Peter reached over and rested his hand over hers, immediately grabbing her attention.

"Yes, it is. I know how much you hate parties." Peter told her and Emma shrugged.

"Well, it just seemed like something you wanted to do." Emma replied but seemed somewhat nervous at the same time. "You always make these grand romantic plans for our dates and I'm not as romantic as that. I don't know how to be romantic."

"Yes, you do." Peter argued as he became encouraged to prove to her that she could, in fact, be romantic. "The picture you painted me for my birthday? That was, like, the most romantic thing ever. And the fact that you love me enough to let me have your grandfather's compass engraved? Trust me, Emma, I know how you feel about me."

"I just know that sometimes I can be a bit much." Emma told him hesitantly but Peter just smiled at her.

"You're never too much. You're perfect." Peter told her and Emma rolled her eyes.

"We both know that's not true, Peter. I'm the furthest thing from perfect." Emma replied, not believing his words for a moment. Him telling her that she was perfect was just the usual BS that boyfriends spouted out to their girlfriends. "I'm the most imperfect person in the world."

"Well, you're the most perfect version of imperfectness that there is." Peter said, his eyes sincere as he stared at her. Emma blushed under his intense gaze, unable to control her emotions. When he said things like that she felt like she was a better person that she actually was. He made her feel that way.

"You're so cheesy, Parker. Don't make me throw up." Emma told him and Peter just gave her that teasing little smirk of his but she saw hopefulness in his eyes. Emma knew he had something on his mind...that he wanted something.

"Remember what you said earlier?" Emma knew exactly what he meant but she wasn't going to make it that easy for him. Emma pretended to not have any idea what he was talking about as she feigned an expression of innocence.

"What I said earlier? No, I don't believe I do." Emma said nonchalantly as she pulled her hand away from him. Peter flushed red in embarrassment because he knew this was her messing with him. She was going to make him say it.

"You know…the thing you said about continuing what we were doing in the car earlier." Peter said shyly and Emma smirked at him.

"No, what thing?" Emma said teasingly and Peter groaned in frustration before doing what she wanted him to do. He pulled her on to his lap quickly and the smirk fell right off of Emma's face. Her heart raced as his lips descended down upon hers. Emma was taken by surprise of his unusual display of boldness but she didn't think about it too much as she kissed him back. She immediately knotted her fingers in his hair which caused him to groan as she felt him run the tip of his tongue across her bottom lip. She gasped in surprise because he never made the first move like that but she allowed his tongue in nonetheless.

Emma couldn't tell how long it was before Peter surprised her even more when he took her off his lap and firmly planted her on the bed. Emma laid there in surprise as she watched Peter hover over there, looking down at her with his eyes looking darker than usual. She had never seen him like this before. Peter swallowed hard as he looked down at Emma who was laying there underneath him. Her blonde hair was splayed across the bedspread under her and her face was flushed red. Peter thought she looked breathtakingly beautiful…almost angelic.

"Is this okay?" He asked, sounding a little out of breath. Emma slowly nodded as she thought of something to say. It was rare that she didn't have a response.

"Yes." Emma finally managed to say quietly and Peter smiled at her before his lips crashed against hers again, his hands suddenly roaming her body. Emma knew that this was new territory for them because they never went this far. They had promised each other that they'd wait for sex but that didn't mean that they couldn't have fun doing other things. This was still new to Emma though. Sometimes Emma would sit on his lap while they kissed but never like this. His hands trembled which Emma only found more endearing. Emma felt Peter's tongue massage hers and was thankful that they both had no need to come up for air as soon as normal people would. Emma tensed when she felt one of Peter's hands brush against her breasts. She knew that he hadn't meant to when he stilled and moved his hand elsewhere.

"Sorry." Peter said, his breathing sounding heavy and Emma shivered. She swallowed nervously as she calmed herself down and she wonder if he was aroused like he was last time. Emma wondered if he was because she knew that she really wanted him. Normally she never felt such a strong feeling of sexual desire but everything was so overwhelming to her in that moment. Peter was acting much more bold than she thought him to be and Emma liked it.

"It's fine." Emma told him softly and Peter looked down at her in surprise.

"Are you sure?" He asked her and Emma quickly nodded. Emma looked up at him in amusement because he had a look on his face like he had just won the lottery. Peter's lips descended back down onto her lips as he began to cup one of her breasts experimentally. Emma moaned at the new sensation and Peter felt himself harden. He knew he should probably stop before this went further but he didn't feel like stopping. Especially when Emma moaned like that. That little sound she made was the most intriguing sound he had ever heard her make and Peter wanted so badly to hear her moan again.

Emma pulled on his hair harder and Peter wished that they could somehow be closer to each other. Everything was so exhilarating and new to him. Emma was allowing them to go further than they normally did. Even though he was only cupping Emma's boobs through her shirt, he felt amazed by the feel of them in his hands. Peter thought they were the perfect size. They were just enough for him to hold comfortably in his hands. He just couldn't believe that Emma was actually letting him touch her boobs…and that she seemed to actually enjoy it. Peter thought Emma had given him enough surprises that night when she suddenly rolled her hips against his. He moaned at the sensation as he kissed Emma harder. The need to feel closer to her was overwhelming as Peter tentatively rolled his own hips against hers in response. Emma gasped before tightening her grip against his back, her nails digging into his shirt and possibly through the fabric.

It felt like she and Peter were in another world and she suddenly knew what lust felt like. It was overpowering and it was the only thing she could think about as her and Peter were locked in a passionate moment. Emma had never felt anything like it and she knew she enjoyed it more than she would admit aloud. However, Emma should've known that some things didn't last forever because as soon as she felt Peter's hardness against her thigh, it triggered something. It was like she was taken out of the moment and sent somewhere outside this little piece of heaven that her and Peter were perfectly happy in.

She was back in that cold and dark room in Hydra, on that bed that Rumlow pinned her down against as she felt him move inside her. The familiar feeling of fear filled her mind as she remembered the way he violently moved against her…like a shark thrashing in the water. Emma felt like she was in that room all over again.

"Margot." He grunted in her ear as he moved and Emma couldn't take it anymore. She didn't like being underneath Peter anymore. She felt trapped…like she couldn't breathe. Emma pushed against his chest but Peter mistook her fear as desire. He continued kissing her along her neck and her eyes filled with tears, a couple tears escaping and falling down her face. Peter took a break from Emma's neck to smile back up at her and that was when he saw the look on her face. The smile fell off his face as soon as he saw the tears. Peter immediately stopped what he was previously doing as he got off of her.

"Emma? What's wrong?" Peter asked in concern, his eyes desperately searched her body for any signs that he had harmed her but he couldn't find any. He was afraid that he might've grabbed her a little too hard. Peter was always scared that one day he'd hurt her. He knew that he was a lot stronger than her so the possibility of somehow accidentally hurting her was pretty high. "Did I hurt you? Are you okay?" Emma swallowed hard as she sat up from her previous position. Peter watched her carefully, noticing that she had the same haunted look on her face that he had been seeing quite frequently in the past couple weeks.

"It's…I'm…I'm fine." Emma managed to say but her voice was barely more than a whisper. Peter knew that something was very wrong. It must've been something he did. Maybe she was uncomfortable with the way he touched her. It was more intimate than they had ever been before, after all. God, what was wrong with him? Aunt May always told him to be a gentlemen and to be respectful but all of that seemed to go out of his head the moment he had Emma on his lap.

"Did I make you feel uncomfortable? Please tell me, Emma." Peter pleaded with her, desperately wanting to know what was wrong. "I went too far, didn't I? I knew I should've stopped. Oh, Emma, I'm so sorry." Emma immediately shook her head.

"It's not you, Peter." It's me which is what she wanted to say but couldn't bring herself to. Peter just stared at her in confusion as he failed to understand what was going on inside her head.

"Then what is it?" He asked her as he continued to stare at her but he could already see her doing that thing she did whenever she withdrew back into herself. He could already see her walls coming back up.

"It's nothing…I told you I'm fine." Emma told him as she wiped the tears from her face but Peter shook his head.

"Don't lie to me, Emma. You're crying." Peter told her, wishing that she'd just tell him what was wrong. "I must've done something wrong so just tell me."

"I said I was fine!" Emma snapped and Peter stared at her silently. He should've anticipated her annoyance or anger but he was hoping that she'd just be open and honest with him. He should've known better.

"Emma, please don't shut me out. Just let me help you." Peter begged her and Emma avoided eye contact with him. She knew she should tell him now. Now would be the right moment to tell him but she was terrified. What would he call her if he knew? Would he be disgusted by her? Emma couldn't bear to see the look on his face when she told him. Even in her imagination the look on his face was unbearable.

"Why can't you just leave me alone!? I told you that nothing's wrong so just believe me!" Emma said angrily and Peter just shook his head in disbelief.

"You're always doing this! You're always shutting me out!" Peter argued, slowly becoming more and more frustrated with her. "All I want to do is help and you won't even tell me what's wrong."

"Stop going on and on about this. There's nothing wrong. I already told you." Emma said in a clipped tone and Peter growled in frustration. He was beyond livid with his girlfriend who wouldn't tell him why she was having all these terrible nightmares. His girlfriend who didn't confess the reason why she had been acting odd lately. His girlfriend who cried when he touched her but wouldn't tell him why.

"Is it him?" Peter asked her desperately and Emma looked up at him in surprise. Peter just stared at her, trying to read the emotion on her face.

"W-who are t-talking about?" Emma asked him, taken back by his question. Peter's jaw clenched because he knew he found the answer he was looking for.

"I'm not stupid, Emma. I know there was a guy before me." Peter told her, jealousy in his voice but once Emma didn't think she liked a jealous Peter. Emma just gave him a confused look.

"What?" She asked, clearly bewildered by what he was saying but Peter just glared at her.

"That night all those months ago when we were hunting down Toomes…when I asked you about your first kiss. You said that I wasn't your first kiss." Peter told her and she realized what he thought this was. He thought that she was acting this way because of another guy.

"You're acting ridiculous, Peter." Emma told him but something was off about her voice. She didn't sound as angry or annoyed. Emma sounded almost…tired or broken down. Peter fumed at her dismissal of the subject.

"This is all about him, isn't it? Why you've been acting so weird…why you're crying now. It's because of him." Peter told her and Emma shook her head.

"Peter, that's not true." She denied but he huffed.

"You were in love with him, weren't you?" Peter questioned, his blood boiling as he imagined Emma with another guy. Emma's eyes widened as she gave him a disgusted look. She quickly stood up from the bed and backed away from him.

"No!" She shouted at him, seething in anger. "You're making yourself look really stupid right now."

"Are you still in love with him?" Peter asked her, slightly afraid to hear the answer. He was afraid Emma would sneer at him and admit that she loved someone else. That she would admit that she never loved him at all and that it had been a beautiful dream that was too good to be true.

"I already told you no! There's no other guy!" Emma told him, tired of all his bullshit. "Stop being a child!"

"I'm not being a child!" Peter argued back before looking at her slightly disheveled looking appearance from their previous encounter. The worst suddenly came to mind as he looked at her and it was like his jealousy had it's own dark and taunting voice. "Did you sleep with him?" Emma stared at him in hurt and disbelief.

"What are you talking about?!" Emma exclaimed as he glared back at her. She didn't know what had gotten into him. Things had been nice between them ten minutes ago…before she had messed everything up by having another flashback. The Rumlow inside her head was going to love this but Emma just felt trapped by his never ending questions.

"Did you have sex with him? Did you let him…touch you?" Peter questioned jealously, not noticing the broken look on Emma's face. He just continued questioning her, letting his jealousy overcome him.

"He took your virginity, didn't he? Didn't he?!" Emma slapped him and Peter's head moved to the side from the harsh slap. He slowly turned his head back to look at her in disbelief, not believing that Emma had actually slapped him. Her slap was a lot stronger than he would've imagined as he felt a stinging sensation across his left cheek. Emma stared at him coldly.

"Get. Out." Emma told him in a clipped tone but Peter just stared at her.

"What?' He questioned, still surprised by the fact that she had actually slapped him. Emma eyes flashed in anger as she shoved him harshly, trying to get him to leave the room.

"Get out of my room! I don't want to see you!" Emma screamed almost furiously at him and Peter felt like he really messed up this time. She hadn't even seemed this angry when she had that flashback the other night. Peter had never seen Emma this angry and he knew he messed up because she was angry at him of all people.

"LEAVE!" Emma screamed at him, tears falling from her eyes as she continued to shove him out of the room. Peter let her shove at him because he didn't know what else to do. Emma and him had fights before but it was more like bickering. It was never like…this. Emma gave him one last shove as she pushed him out of the room and slammed the door in his face.

Peter stared at the door in shock, not sure what just happened. Everything happened so fast and he was so angry at her. Angry because she always shut him out by not telling him anything. No, he had a right to be angry with her. Peter clenched his jaw in anger, furious at the way Emma had slammed the door in his face like he was the one in the wrong. It wasn't him…it was her. She was the one who did the wrong thing. Not him.

"Whatever!" Peter yelled at the door. "I hope you know you're being dramatic, Emma!" Peter jumped when he heard something hitting the door and he immediately decided to get out of there before Emma killed him. Yeah, she was definitely pissed.

Emma stood on the other side of the door as she cried. All Emma could do was cry because everything hurt so much. She didn't know why Peter had said all those things…those hurtful things. Well, maybe she did. Emma didn't want to admit it but he had hurt her a lot. She hated feeling this weak and terrible about herself but all those things he said about her and Rumlow having sex. He didn't know that he was talking about Rumlow or what Rumlow did to her but it still hurt. She heard him angrily stomp down the stairs before the door slammed harshly and Emma felt a flare of anger. How dare he be angry at her! She told him she was fine but he didn't listen. He was the one who decided to lose it and start accusing her of loving and sleeping with some other guy. If she was such slut then he sure didn't seem to mind twenty minutes ago when he had his hands all over her boobs and ass.

The blonde immediately grabbed the backpack he had left by her bed and ran to the window, her antics fueled by hurt and anger. She opened the door, feeling the cool winter air flow through the room, and she felt even more angry when she saw him and his stupid face walking down the street below. Emma immediately turned the backpack over and dumped all the contents onto the street. Peter narrowly dodged his geometry textbook as it landed on the street beside him along with all his other school materials. He looked up in disbelief at his very angry girlfriend who stood at the window with his backpack in hand. She then threw the backpack onto the street as well.

"You're fucking crazy!" Peter yelled at her, livid and bewildered at her antics. Who did she think she was? Throwing his textbooks and school supplies at him? If he was a normal person that could've killed him.

"And you're an asshole!" Emma yelled back at him before she slammed her window shut. Peter nostrils flared in anger as he stooped down and began to pick up his school things from the street. All the while people passed by him, giving him weird looks. Some people even asked him what the hell he did to piss his girlfriend off but Peter didn't say anything. He just gathered all his things together before he left, not sparing another glance at Emma's bedroom window. She was being dramatic and he hoped she figured that out soon. He'd never understand her. He didn't know if it was because she was a girl or if it was because she was Emma.

---

Emma fell back against her bed as she processed everything that had just happened. Everything had been fine one moment. They were having one of their little make out sessions and yeah this one was more intense but it was going good. Emma hadn't been afraid or uncomfortable and she had even enjoyed it when Peter groped her chest. Then she felt his hardness against her and everything changed. Suddenly she back with Rumlow in the base. It wasn't just her and Peter anymore. Emma wiped more tears from her face as she rested her head against the pillow.

She knew that they probably wouldn't have fought like that if Emma had just been honest with him but she couldn't bring herself to tell him. Jessica said that she shouldn't let Rumlow have control over her life but that's what he was doing. He was already ruining one of the best things to have ever happened to her. Now Emma felt even less sure about telling Peter. If he reacted like that to the idea of her having sex with another guy then how was he going to react to her being raped? All Emma could think about was the angry look on his face as he asked her if she had sex with someone else. She could only imagine what he'd look like if she told him the truth about Rumlow.

Emma tried to shove the thoughts of Peter and Rumlow from her mind but when her eyes rested on the stuffed horse Peter had gotten her for her birthday, she lost it. She shoved the cute horse off her bed because that was the last thing she wanted to see. Emma buried her face in the pillow, hating the way Peter made her feel. He had made her into a sad, pathetic teenage girl who cried about how her boyfriend hurt her feelings. This kind of thing was supposed to be beneath her. Emma continued to cry into her pillow, unleashing months upon months of repressed emotions, and Emma didn't even stop to compose herself when she heard her bedroom door open.

"Is everything okay in here?" Darcy asked somewhat hesitantly as she peered inside the bedroom. She was quite surprised to see Emma crying into her pillow. The only time she had seen Emma this upset was after the ordeal with the ferry. That time it had been Tony that made her cry this much but Darcy knew that it wasn't Tony this time. Judging by all the screaming and yelling she heard, she could tell it might've had something to do with a certain cute and nerdy teenage boy.

"Go away!" Emma said but her voice was muffled from the pillow. Darcy sighed as she entered the room before perching herself on the edge of Emma's bed. She never really knew what to do in these types of situations because Emma was way different than she had been at that age. Darcy didn't have her first boyfriend until college and even then she had dated a string of losers who never gave a shit about her. She wasn't sure what kind of advice she could give to Emma but she knew she had to help her.

"That was a pretty nasty fight. I could hear you guys from all the way in the living room." Darcy told her but Emma didn't say anything. She only sniffled. "Peter also walked out of the house looking pretty pissed. It was kind of weird because usually he seems so cute and nerdy. I didn't think it was possible for him to get mad." Emma said something from underneath the pillow but it was muffled.

"What was that?" Darcy asked her, not understanding what Emma was trying to say.

Darcy took the pillow away from her face and was surprised at what she saw. The perfect and immaculate Emma Rogers looked distraught. Tears streaming down her face and her eyes puffy from all the crying. Her make-up was horribly smeared and Darcy was bewildered because she had never seen her look that upset before. Wow, Darcy thought to herself, Peter sure did a number on her.

"I said that Parker's an asshole." Emma said bitterly, looking to be a cross between hurt and angry. Darcy gave her a doubtful look.

"Really? Because I thought he was the best boyfriend ever this morning." Darcy then did, what she thought was, a good impression of Emma as she twirled her hair around her finger and made her voice higher. "Oh, Peter, you're so good to me. You're the best boyfriend in the world. You're so hot and I can't wait to take your scrawny little nerdy ass home so I can make love to you all night. We'll act out one of your creepy Star Wars fantasies. We can play Princess Leia and the lonely Stormtrooper." Emma scowled at her.

"I never said that. You're disgusting." Emma hissed and Darcy could tell that she wasn't really making Emma feel any better about this. Darcy thought Emma would be laughing by now but it didn't look like Emma was anywhere near laughing. Darcy sighed as she became serious once more.

"Okay so spill it. What were you guys yelling and screaming about?" Darcy asked her and Emma made a face before resting her head back against the pillow.

"I don't want to talk about it." Emma grumbled and Darcy knew that Emma wasn't about to start spilling all her secrets. She should've known that Emma wouldn't want to talk about it but at least she tried.

"Couples fight, Emma. It's completely normal." Darcy told her and Emma just shook her head.

"It was really bad this time, Darcy. We've fought before but this time it was different because-"

"Because you're a couple?" Darcy interrupted and the look on Emma's face told her that she was right.

"I slapped him, Darcy." Emma admitted, still not believing that she had actually slapped Peter and Darcy gave her a surprised look. It wouldn't have been the most violent outburst she had when she was angry. When she was little, after the injections, she'd have all kinds of violent outbursts. Her father was probably the only person that knew how Emma was when she was angry. All those years of Hydra training her to suppress her emotions and somehow Peter had brought out her ugly side. She hadn't meant to slap him but everything he was saying was too overwhelming. Emma couldn't take it but she never meant to hurt him.

"What did he say to you?" Darcy questioned curiously. "Tony's pissed you off more than anyone but you've never slapped him."

"I know I shouldn't have done it but the things he was saying…they hurt." Emma said sadly and Darcy gave her a sympathetic look.

"Look, boys can be really stupid sometimes, Emma. Whatever he said, I'm sure he didn't mean it." Darcy said sincerely but she sighed when Emma didn't say anything. "You two had your first fight but you'll kiss and make up soon. All couples do."

"I don't know, Darcy. This was a really bad fight." Emma whispered as she thought about the fight. She didn't want to think about it but the look on Peter's face wouldn't leave her mind. He looked so angry at her and Emma wondered if her not having her virginity was a deal breaker. Because if it was then Peter really wasn't going to want her anymore and the thought of him breaking up with her was terrifying. He had said a lot of terrible things to her but that didn't mean that Emma wanted him to leave her. He promised that he wouldn't leave her but that was before the fight.

"It's going to be okay, Em." Darcy said reassuringly and Emma sniffled.

"What if he decides that he doesn't love me anymore?" Emma asked her and Darcy fought the urge to roll her eyes. She had forgotten how dramatic teenagers could be. Even though Emma wasn't the most normal of teenagers, it was nice to know she was still a teenager where it counted.

"Don't be stupid. Of course, he loves you." Darcy told her seriously. "That boy is crazy about you, Emma. You two just need a little time to cool off."

"I hope you're right." Emma mumbled and Darcy just smiled at her.

"I'm always right. Just ask Jane." Darcy replied, sounding quite sure of herself. "Do you know how many times Jane and Thor have fought? I don't even think Thor knows when they're fighting. Jane gets really pissed off at him too but at the end of the day they still love each other."

"I don't know why Thor's with that loser." Emma muttered and Darcy laughed.

"I don't know why either." Darcy murmured but her thoughts were elsewhere as she looked at the tired looking blonde on the bed. She wrapped her arm around the teenage girl and for once Emma didn't push her away. She just laid still as the brunette held her close, allowing someone other than Steve or Peter to comfort her. Emma knew that her and Darcy posed as sisters as part of their cover story but Emma really considered Darcy to be like a sister to her. She'd never admit it aloud but Emma might've even cared for Darcy.

"You'll be okay." Darcy whispered softly, trying to comfort her but Emma still felt drained from the fight. She just hoped that Darcy was right about Peter. Emma didn't know if she could take losing him too.