Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. I've just been in kind of a sad mood since Infinity War. I'm not going to spoil it or anything but the people who saw it will understand why. So after seeing the movie for a second time I now have a clear idea about how I'm going to write the Infinity War storyline for my story. I was originally just going to finish part III and maybe just dive into IW for Part IV but I've decided against that. I'm actually planning on including the Thor: Ragnarok storyline in my story because it's the only way I can do what I want for Infinity War so I'm going to go ahead and do that for Part IV. I really wanted to include Emma in that storyline when I first saw the movie but back then I just really wanted to skip ahead to Infinity War but now I'm more keen on waiting. This way it'll give me more time before Avenger's 4 comes out and Emma and Loki can finally meet which has always been my dream. Those two are going to cause so much mayhem on Sakaar and it's going to be so much worse because Peter and Steve won't be there to supervise Emma. It'll basically just be Emma being allowed to do whatever she wants on a far away planet with the God of Mischief who probably isn't a great chaperone. Don't worry. There's still much to write where Part III is concerned and even when I start Part IV, the Thor: Raganrok storyline probably won't happen for a while. I'm going to include a lot of fluffy chapters with the Avengers finally being back together before Thor: Ragnarok storyline.
Another note for this story...Steve and the others will return in four chapters after this one. Next chapter will be a flashback chapter which I don't think will take me too long to write and then some shit's going to go down. People have asked forever when the others will return and I never had a definite answer but after writing this chapter I finally do. I'm so excited to write the return!
By the way...did anyone see Jimmy Kimmel's mean tweets Avenger's Edition? Is it bad that I kind of see the tweet about Tom Holland being true? Lol. A part of me believes that it was Anthony Mackie's tweet from a fake account. I can't believe it's going to be another year before we see Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan roasting Tom Holland during the press tour for the next movie. Mackie and Stan need to do a comedy together or host SNL or something because I can't get enough of them. They're so hilarious. I always watch their interviews together when I'm sad because it's the only thing that can make me laugh so hard that I'll cry. If you haven't seen the compilation of Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan roasting Tom Holland, you really should. It never gets old.
Also warning...Emma says some offensive stuff about German people in this chapter but it's only because she's super weird and mean sometimes. It's not because I hate German people or anything. I mean...I'm half German so I definitely don't hate German people.
Mcduffie145: I do have plans to update Rose Garden Dreams but I'm just super inspired by Some Things Never Sleep right now so it might be a little while. It sounds really terrible but Rose Garden Dreams is kind of my go to story when I'm lacking inspiration for this one but I've been pretty motivated to write this as of lately. Rose Garden Dreams was actually taken from the song 'Cherry' by Lana Del Rey but I do know of Rose Colored Boy. I'm not a huge fan of Paramore's latest album but there's a couple songs on there that I still really like and Rose Colored Boy is one of them.
CheekyLove: Bucky and Steve spying on Emma and Peter would be a really cute idea but I don't know. We'll see. I know that Steve is probably going to be surprised by Emma and Peter but he'll eventually be happy for them. Bucky's probably not going to be that easy. I can kind of see Peter enthusiastically trying to win Bucky's approval and Bucky just giving him a dirty look. I'm not that familiar with that actress but I've always seen Elle Fanning as Emma. It's kind of stuck in my head now so that's the only person I picture as Emma. Someone was even kind enough to make the cover of this story with Elle Fanning as Emma which I'll forever be grateful for. I'm not that creative. I also see all this fan art out there and I wish I could draw that well. I don't think there's any fan art for this story out there but the other day I saw this beautiful drawing someone drew of Bucky as the Winter Soldier holding this little blonde girl in his arms and she reminded me of Emma. I know the person who drew it obviously has no idea this story exists but it still made me think of Emma and Bucky. God, I wish I was talented enough to draw stuff like that because I would definitely be churning out fan art for this story.
glagla60800: I'm still going to include the Infinity War storyline. The first time I saw the movie I didn't really want to but after seeing it a second time I've decided that I am going to do it. I feel like it will allow me to explore a new and different part of Emma's character. It won't happen for a while and hopefully Avenger's 4 will already be out or be close to coming out by the time I reach the end of the storyline so I can just continue it right after.
nathan19bane: I know some people might get mad at me for this but I don't watch Agents of Shield. I think I watched the first two seasons but then I got bored and stopped watching. I do love Agent Carter though and I'm sad they canceled that show. I'm not really familiar with that actress either but I've always pictured Elle Fanning as Emma in my mind. She's just forever engraved into my mind as Emma. I wish that there was a character like Emma in the MCU and especially someone who was paired off with Peter but I guess that's the reason for fanfiction. The thing you said about Natasha, Gamora, Emma, Peter, Peter, and Bruce never really occurred to me but I like what you said. All of those couples are super unconventional but I think they make for better and cuter romances.
Doom13: I saw the scene you posted the link for and I might include it in this story. It might not happen for a while but it would be super cute and make Emma reconsider the family thing although she probably would never tell Peter that. Lol. I actually completely forgot about the scene which is weird because I think I have that movie somewhere. I know I have both Amazing Spider-Man movies. What's funny is that I actually started writing a Spider-Man fanfiction based off the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man and it was basically the same idea as this story. It was Captain America's granddaughter who was a former Hydra spy or something. She just had a different name but I got bored with it after writing three chapters. I think it's because I love Tom Holland's version of Spider-Man so much more. This version of Peter is just so cute and dorky, he's impossible not to love. Emma's actually a lot more fun to write than the character in the other Spider-Man story I was going to write.
Guest: I 100% cried writing the last chapter. It was really hard and took forever but I got through it. I'm just glad that I finally got it over with. I mean, I've thought of writing my own book but I have no idea what I would write. I have some ideas but nothing concrete. Some Things Never Sleep is kind of my practice for writing that book, I guess. I'm just not sure what I would write.
HwGenius: THANK YOU! I got a couple of not so nice reviews a few chapters ago about not updating fast enough and because I had started a separate fanfiction. It kind of made me feel bad or guilty but the chapters I write for this story are super long so that's why it takes me so long to update sometimes. There are days that I don't feel inspired to write and I don't really want to force that. I mean, I guess in a way I should be flattered because that means that people really love this story but I also want to take my time to write.
Radioactive88: Yay, you're back! I love your reviews because they're so long and funny. The cute conversation between Emma and Peter about a family was something I came up with several months ago. I had the idea and wrote the dialogue down in the notes app on my phone. I was waiting for the day when I could finally use it. I was so happy and relieved writing that chapter with Emma and Peter because Emma's been keeping this to herself for so long and Peter finally knows. It's not just a huge weight off Emma's chest but also mine as the writer. Tony and Emma's hug was both much needed and funny. He was right when he said that Peter's the only one she allows to hug her but I think now because of Peter she's going to be more open to hugging Steve and Bucky than she was before.
IvyMoore: I'm glad you like the story so much and I'm glad to get new readers. I know what you mean about it being hard to find fanfiction that you really like. It's been so long since I've read something super good. I feel like I used to read fanfictions all the time when I was in high school but now it's harder to find stories that I really love. Not to say that there aren't new good ones out there but I just haven't found a lot of them yet. I'm hoping to see more Peter/OC fanfiction but I'm not sure Infinity War will have that kind of impact on fanfiction writers. Maybe the next Spider-Man movie will.
Thanks for all the reviews even though I didn't answer all of them. I just want you to know that I read every single one of them and I really appreciate you guys taking the time to review. Thanks for all the favorites and follows too. Keeping reviewing to let me know what you think and please enjoy the new chapter.
"Did you pack your toothbrush? What about your deodorant?" May asked Peter as he and Emma waited in the airport security line at JFK. It was the day of the flight to London for the Academic Decathlon competition and the entire team was excited…especially Peter. Emma knew how excited her boyfriend was for London because he had been tossing and turning the entire night before. She barely got any sleep because he had elbowed her and kicked her in his sleep almost twenty times. Emma was starting to regret letting him into her bed every night because he was a restless sleeper but at least Emma's nightmares weren't as bad.
It had a been a couple weeks since Emma had told Peter the truth about her and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Emma didn't regret telling Peter either. He didn't look at her any differently than before and he had proved to be an incredible listener as she told him about some of the nightmares she had…the real nightmares. The only difference was that Peter was way more gentle and careful whenever they kissed. He never touched her like he had that time in her bedroom when their make-out session became steamier than ever. Emma was disappointed that he was so cautious with her now. She didn't want him to coddle her but at the same time she was thankful that he was being patient with her. He was just being a little too patient for Emma's liking.
Things were different between Emma and Peter now that he knew her darkest, most intimate secret. Emma had gone through a change in this relationship and had decided to be more open and honest with her boyfriend. She had told him everything she could've thought of…from her father still being in the Cyro-Chamber to Alexander Pierce being her other more evil grandfather and even her strange new friendship with Jessica Jones. Peter had taken it all well, being both sympathetic and understanding. He didn't judge her for not telling him all of these things sooner. Emma was just happy that everything was out in the open between them. This no more secrets thing was oddly refreshing. Emma being completely honest was still new territory but it was nice not to be drowning in secrecy anymore. Peter didn't make her regret it one bit.
Things at the compound were going great too. Tony had hilariously put Peter to work around the compound since he got grounded, making him clean and polish all the Iron Man suits even though Emma was pretty sure that Tony had some kind of machine that did that automatically. He also made Peter dust all the empty Avengers' rooms and started referring to him as the maid. Emma was secretly amused and even teased Peter at night when he climbed into her bed. He'd glare at her in that cute way he did when he pretended to be mad at her but they'd engage in a cuddling session, forgetting all about his annoyance with her. Emma would never admit that she actually enjoyed cuddling with Peter. Emma wasn't the cuddly type but she supposed that there were a lot of exceptions when it came to Peter Parker.
"Yes, May." Peter said, not letting his aunt's annoying questions get him down. He was much too excited for the trip.
"And you packed your underwear too? Please, tell me you didn't forget again." May said, sounding very concerned. Peter blushed as Emma smirked at him.
"Yes, let's not forget about your underwear." Emma said teasingly and Peter glared at her before glancing back over at his aunt.
"No, I didn't forget." He said in an embarrassed voice, hoping that none of their classmates would hear…especially Flash. However, the others were much too occupied discussing what places they were going to visit while they were in London. Even Michelle seemed to be looking forward to the trip. Emma knew how interested she was in visiting the Tate Modern just like Emma was.
"So you have everything then?" May continued to ask and Peter sighed before smiling at his aunt.
"Yes, May. I have everything…Emma made sure I triple checked. I'll be fine." Peter told her reassuringly. "I promise." May just nodded before looking over at Emma who smiled back at her. The older woman's eyes then rested on the necklace the girl was wearing around her neck. She had noticed the necklace about a week or two before and recognized it as her sister-in-law's necklace. May knew just how much Mary adored that necklace and by the way she had caught Emma admiring it every now and then, May could tell that Emma adored the necklace in the same way that Mary did. It had surprised her to see Emma wearing the necklace originally which led May into knowing that Peter and Emma's relationship was now a lot more serious than she thought. The thought kind of scared her since they were both so young but May was also happy because Peter was happy.
"Don't worry, May. I'll keep an eye on him." Darcy interjected as she casually wrapped an arm around both Emma and Peter, causing Emma to glare at her. "I have to make sure this one keeps his hands to himself. Don't think just because you two are in London, the city of love, that you can just be making out on every romantic bridge and street." Emma rolled her eyes.
"The city of love is in Paris, you idiot. Not London." Emma corrected but Darcy didn't look bothered by this information.
"Anyways…I'll make sure these two stay out of trouble. Don't you worry one bit." Darcy said as she continued to reassure May. "I used to live in London, you know. Jane did some of her research over there so I'm very familiar with the city. I've even mastered driving in London." Emma honestly doubted that Darcy mastered driving in London. She hadn't even mastered driving in America. Emma actually couldn't believe Darcy was going to London with them. Imagine her shock and annoyance when Darcy announced that she had signed up as a chaperone for the trip. It was Emma's worst nightmare because she knew the brunette was going to annoy the shit out of her during this trip. Between Darcy, Ned, and Flash, she was going to very annoyed this time around.
"Thank you, Darcy. I really appreciate it." May told her but Emma wasn't really looking forward to Darcy being on this trip. She was fond of Darcy but sometimes the brunette really got on her nerves.
"It's no problem." Darcy said before May glanced back over at her nephew.
"You better not get into any trouble on this trip." May told Peter with a serious expression on her face. "I don't want to hear anything about you leaving the hotel room to go spend the night with your girlfriend again." Peter blushed a vibrant shade of red.
"I told you, May…it wasn't like that." Peter tried to tell her as Emma looked between the two of them in amusement. It was clear to her that May was only teasing her nephew.
"It looks like Mr. Harrington isn't going to be making the same mistake twice. He made sure to put the girls and boys on two separate floors." Darcy informed May smugly. "We have to make sure that your nephew keeps it in his pants." Emma just glared at the insane woman as Peter looked even more embarrassed than before. Yes, this was going to be a very long week if Darcy was going to be there every step of the way. This trip would certainly test her patience. Emma was going to have to see whether or not she'd actually end up murdering Darcy this time. It was definitely going to be a slippery slope.
They were at their designated gate inside the airport, waiting for their flight as their classmates ran about the airport buying a bunch of books or magazines for the flight that they'd probably never end up reading. Darcy was buying a bunch of snacks for the flight and one of those stupid gossip magazines she always read. Emma and Peter's eyes, however, were glued to one of the television screens but they weren't the only people in the airport completely glued to the TV. They were currently watching King T'Challa's United Nations speech as he announced that Wakanda would be joining the United Nations. The Wakandan King looked incredibly handsome and well dressed in his nice, fashionable black suit and Emma realized that this was the first time she had seen the king's face. She had fought against him at the airport in Germany but she had never seen his face before. He wasn't really what she had expected. Emma supposed she might have assumed he'd be older or uglier. Most kings were but she had been wrong before.
"Can you believe it?" Peter said in amazement as he continued to stare up at the screen. "All these years and Wakanda's been hiding the fact that they're the most advanced technological country in the world." Emma just shrugged.
"I'm guessing that was the point." She stated before continuing. "I don't think I'm that surprised either. The guy's suit was made entirely of Vibranium. He certainly left quite the mark on Steve's shield. A Vibranium suit like that doesn't come out of a third world country." Peter just shook his head, his eyes not leaving T'Challa on the screen.
"I just don't understand why they would hide it. Why hide all that technology? They could've been helping people for years." Peter said, sounding sincerely confused.
"Don't you know your history, Parker?" Emma questioned before she explained further. "Our ancestors kind of have a history of taking what isn't theirs. Whether it was land, people, or riches, we took and took until there was nothing left. I don't blame them for hiding everything. They were actually smart to do that and especially since they have the largest supply of Vibranium in the world. They were right to hide everything from the outside world." Emma explained and Peter suddenly understood why Wakanda had been hiding their resources for so long. Emma was right. They were only trying to protect Wakanda to ensure that no one robbed or colonized it like the rest of the continent had been. Peter didn't blame them at all.
"I see your point." Peter said as he finally tore his eyes from the screen. He stared at his girlfriend's face as she stared up at the screen. Peter narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. He reminded himself not to get so jealous because that was the reason they started fighting all those weeks ago. They had moved past that bump in the road after Emma declared that she would never love anyone other than him but Peter still got jealous from time to time although nothing like before. It was kind of reasonable that he would feel the slightest bit threatened by T'Challa despite Emma and him working through the jealousy. T'Challa was, after all, a very good looking king who was probably the richest man in the world. "Why are you staring at the screen like that?" Emma finally tore her gaze from the screen as she looked back at Peter. He had a torn look on his face and Emma knew he was trying to mask his jealousy. She smirked in amusement at her jealous boyfriend.
"What? I can't look?" Emma said innocently and Peter playfully glared at her.
"No." He said shortly and Emma continued to smirk at him, thoroughly amused and a little attracted to Peter's jealous side. This was the jealous side of Peter that she could appreciate. Not the other jealous side like the night they fought.
"I'm just appreciating T'Challa's outfit. He's got a great taste in fashion." Emma said jokingly and Peter scoffed.
"Yeah, sure you are." Peter said, sounding unconvinced and Emma just laughed.
"Well, can you blame me, Peter? He's pretty good looking for a king. T'Challa's definitely no Henry VIII. That's for sure." Emma retorted but she wasn't really being serious. Sure, T'Challa was good looking but Emma didn't think he had anything on her cute little spider. Peter crossed his arms.
"Yeah, sure…if you like tall, good looking men with a lot of money and a palace then yeah. I guess he is worth looking at." Peter said bitterly and Emma just laughed as she slipped her hand into his. She leaned in close as she began to whisper into his ear, causing Peter to blush and his heart to race.
"Don't worry, Parker, I much prefer my men to be short, nerdy, and to have a bunk bed rather than some silly old palace." Emma flirted and Peter gave her a slightly offended look.
"I'm not short! I'm still growing!" Peter argued passionately and Emma just gave him an amused smile. "I'll probably grow a few more inches. You'll see."
"I'm sure you will, Parker." Emma said, not sounding entirely convinced by his statement. "You shouldn't feel so threatened anyways. I think you're a lot better looking than that king."
"Really?" Peter asked her shyly and Emma nodded.
"Yes."
"Do you think I'm better looking than Thor too?" Peter asked her and Emma just looked at him.
"Peter, that's a stupid question. No one's better looking than Thor." Emma told him, causing Peter to stare at her in surprise. "The guy's a moron but at least he has a pretty face."
"I can't believe you would-" Peter started to say but stopped when he saw Emma laughing at him. He was a little annoyed that she was teasing him but he was happy to see her laughing. She seemed a lot happier ever since she told him her secret about Rumlow. Emma wasn't as stressed out as she used to be and Peter was just happy that she was happy.
"I'm messing with you, Parker. You have a much prettier face than Thor. I don't even like long hair anyways." Emma told him. "If you ever have long hair or grow a beard, I'll dump you. I swear." The only thing was that Peter couldn't tell whether or not Emma was joking. He supposed that it was a very Emma thing to say.
"Well, I don't think I can grow a beard anyways so you don't have anything to worry about." Peter told her and Emma just shook her head at him in amusement but before she could answer she was interrupted by Darcy Lewis who had a stack of gossip magazines in her arms and a bag of pretzel snacks. Emma wanted to groan at the sight of her and she hoped to god that she didn't have to sit by Darcy for the entire flight. Twelve hours of listening to Darcy's constant chatter wasn't Emma's idea of a good time.
"Okay, you two horny kids. Back away from each other." Darcy said teasingly as she looked between them. "I'll be watching you two on the plane so I don't want to see any hands under any blanket." Emma glared at the brunette as she calmly pulled her hand away from Peter's while Peter just blushed in embarrassment.
"You better be careful, Lewis. Don't test my patience or you might find yourself getting thrown out of the plane." Emma said darkly but Darcy rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Keep it up with the death threats. I don't care." Darcy said, sounding unconcerned by Emma's threat. "I'll just be reading about Brangelina's divorce and watching Law and Order: SVU re-runs in the meantime." Darcy then walked off to go chat with some of the other adult chaperones. Most likely Ned's mother because Emma couldn't really see Darcy holding a conversation with Flash's dad. The man looked like a huge dickhead to Emma with his expensive suit and way he always seemed to be having a conversation about business on the phone with some asshole on Wall Street. Flash really looked like a miniature version of his father and Emma wasn't just talking about his height either.
"I swear to god I'm going to kill that woman one of these days." Emma muttered to herself but Peter just gave her an amused smile.
"No, you won't." Peter said in a confident sounding voice. Emma just muttered something under her breath as she glared at the television screen that was now showing a cereal commercial. She knew Peter was right. Emma would never murder Darcy like she threatened but the worse part was that Darcy wasn't even slightly afraid that she might kill her. She really had lost her touch. Emma blamed it on Peter but only in the most affectionate way.
Peter looked around London in wonder as Emma watched him in amusement. He pointed at everything, his jaw hanging open. They had landed at Heathrow airport a couple hours before and the tour bus, the school had rented for them, had already dropped off their luggage at the hotel they were staying in. Peter and Ned's faces had practically been glued to the bus window the entire ride much to Emma's amusement. Darcy, to Emma's delight, had sat next to Flash's father for the entire bus ride, annoying the hell out of the older man. To Emma that was even more entertaining than anything outside the window.
"Emma, look it's the big clock tower thingy!" Peter exclaimed excitedly and Emma watched as Peter stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to stare at Big Ben in awe. Everyone else was also admiring the tower except for Michelle who was reading a book and Emma who was watching Peter. Emma and Michelle were currently leaning back against the Westminster bridge while everyone was bustling around, chatting excitedly amongst each other.
"Big clock tower thingy…yeah, no one's going to have the slightest idea that we're Americans." Emma said sarcastically as she referenced one of the meetings that the Academic Decathlon team had about not advertising the fact that they were Americans. It was pretty much a bad idea to let anyone in a foreign country know that they were Americans because apparently a lot of people hated Americans. Big surprise there. Mr. Harrington had been insistent on them telling people that they were Canadians but Emma doubted that anyone would buy that.
"Your boyfriend's an idiot." Michelle deadpanned and Emma nodded her head in agreement.
"I know." Emma replied which caused Peter to glare at the two girls.
"Hey, you're supposed to defend me!" Peter told his girlfriend but Emma just shrugged, not seeming that concerned with him.
"I'm not going to lie, Parker." Emma retorted and Peter just shook his head at her, not really annoyed with her. Even though they had been dating for two months, Emma never ceased picking on him and Peter would honestly be kind of sad if she did stop. It was kind of their thing…Emma teasing him and Peter pretending to be annoyed by it. It was just another form of their flirting.
"Whatever." Peter muttered before a happier expression came over his face as something came to mind. Emma already knew she wasn't going to like this. Whenever Peter got that stupid look on his face, she knew it was because he had some stupid idea that she was going to hate. "Hey, let's get a selfie with Big Ben in the background! That would look so cool! Oh, I can't wait to post it on Instagram."
"I don't take selfies." Emma told him firmly, putting an end to Peter's rambling and Peter groaned.
"Fine, then. We'll have Ned or Darcy take a picture of us." Peter told her and Emma just gave up at this point because she knew Peter wasn't just going to give this idea up. He'd just badger her until she gave in anyways. Emma rolled her eyes at him.
"Fine. Let's take the stupid picture." Emma grumbled but Peter didn't look put off by her unenthusiastic tone. He knew Emma wouldn't agree to this if she didn't want to do it. The teenage boy happily handed his phone over to Ned before walking back over to Emma.
"I think we should kiss for the picture." Peter said as he grinned at her. Emma looked at him in disbelief before glancing around at all the people walking around them. Was he crazy? He wanted to kiss her in front of all these people? If there was one thing Emma and her grandfather could agree on, it was PDA. Emma hated PDA. She was fine with holding hands or even hugging in public but kissing in public was something else.
"I told you that I don't like PDA." Emma stated and Peter pouted.
"We don't have any pictures of us kissing. I'd just like to at least have one. The only picture we have of us together is the one Darcy took while we were sleeping." Peter explained to her as he gave her that stupid puppy dog look that she claimed to find annoying but actually found to be cute. The look then faded from his face as he was reminded of something. He suddenly wondered if he was being too pushy with her. Peter constantly feared whether or not he was somehow pressuring Emma in anyway and especially with what happened to her in the past. Peter admitted that he was being a lot more careful with her than normal but he just didn't want to make her uncomfortable. "Unless you're not comfortable with it or anything."
Emma stared at Peter as he said that and she knew this was him being slightly overprotective of her. The reason she didn't like PDA had nothing to do with Rumlow. She just didn't like the idea of sharing private moments with strangers. However, Emma didn't want Peter to think she was uncomfortable. If he thought that she was uncomfortable then that just meant that he'd be even more hesitant when they kissed behind closed doors. Emma didn't want him to think she was uncomfortable with anything of the sort. She just sighed before answering.
"Kiss me then, Parker." Emma told him tiredly and perhaps it wasn't the most romantic declaration but it seemed to make Peter happy. He briefly turned to Ned to give him the signal before quickly turning back to Emma. Peter immediately leaned in towards Emma and all annoyance and discomfort disappeared as soon as his lips met hers. She felt his hands on her as he held her close but Emma didn't feel uncomfortable like she thought she would. Kissing in public was never something she thought about but it didn't feel like there was a bunch of people watching them. No…it just felt like it was the two of them and no one else in the world. It was perfect.
"I got the picture…I actually got three so you two can stop kissing now." Ned called out to them as they both pulled away from each other. Despite Ned having interrupted their moment, Emma and Peter's eyes were still locked onto each other. It was moments like these that they both realized how in love they were. Emma didn't know what made her so mushy all of a sudden. She didn't know if it was because she was in London or if it was because things were so blissful between her and Peter since they had that talk.
"Let's take a couple of others then." Peter stated and Emma found herself nodding despite hating having her picture taken. Peter pulled her in close again as he wrapped his arm around her. He smiled at the camera and Emma briefly admired his goofy smile, her favorite smile of his, before she also faced the camera. For the first time in a while Emma found herself smiling in a way that wasn't forced or fake. It was the way she smiled when she was alone with Peter…a completely happy smile that lit up her whole face and made her blue eyes sparkle. They had Ned take a few more pictures before they followed the rest of the class down to the London Eye. Emma didn't exactly have great memories of London in the past but Emma didn't feel completely haunted by her past like she thought she would. Emma was making new memories in the famous city and she had Peter to thank for that. She spent the walk over to the London Eye watching Peter point out different things with a happy and content smile on her face.
The international competition looked far bigger than the one in D.C. although Emma couldn't be sure since her and Peter had been a bit occupied during that time. It was kind of annoying that people kept a close watch over them. Especially Mr. Harrington and Darcy who were making sure that they didn't run off together again. She had to admit that it was frustrating that all of their classmates were convinced that she and Peter had stayed back at a hotel room to have sex last time around. They also thought that she and Peter had run off to have sex again when they ditched the homecoming dance. Literally every time Peter and Emma had went off to be the Viper Assassin and Spider-Man, their classmates thought they were having sex. Even Michelle and Ned knew that wasn't the truth yet that didn't stop them from teasing the young couple about it.
"Are you nervous?" Peter asked her and Emma had to scoff at that.
"I don't get nervous about anything." She replied before she looked around in distaste at all the audience members watching them. They were currently seated at a table on the stage with their other classmates. The team had been competing all day and was finally in the semi-finals stage of the competition. They were currently competing against England and Germany for the chance to compete in the finals. "Besides…I just want to get this over with so we can go home." Peter rolled his eyes.
"Come on, London can't be that bad. Right?" Peter said and Emma shrugged.
"I don't know, Peter. It's been pretty good so far but the last time I was here it was for my grandmother's funeral and it was also when the whole world started going to shit. I'd prefer not to be here for too long." Emma said but Peter just gave her a smile. He slipped his hand into hers before giving her hand a comforting squeeze.
"We'll have a lot of fun. This trip has only just begun." Peter told her, trying to cheer her up. "We're going to go to those art museums that I know you're just dying to visit. Mr. Harrington says we're going to visit Windsor Castle tomorrow and on Thursday we're going to see Stonehenge so that'll be cool."
"I guess the art museums will be interesting." Emma said, trying to downplay her excitement in finally going to the Tate Modern but Peter knew her better than that. "I'm not really looking forward to going to that stupid castle. I don't get why people are so obsessed with the royal family. Aren't they all inbred or something? Besides…it's not like that old bat has any real power. She just attends tea parties all day. At least someone like T'Challa has actual power in his own country." Peter looked around frantically as he looked to see if anyone had overheard Emma. He knew that Emma didn't care but he didn't want to offend anyone. Peter didn't think it was acceptable to talk about the queen that way in her own country but Emma didn't seem to care either way. It was something he loved about her but in this instance; it might even be something that would get them kicked out of the competition.
"How about we convince Mr. Harrington to let us go with Darcy to your grandmother's grave? We don't even have to tell him where we're going. We'll be with a chaperone so he won't think twice about it." Peter suggested to her and a soft look came over Emma's face. "Do you think you would like that?" Emma immediately nodded as she smiled at him.
"I'd love that. Thank you." Emma told him before her smile morphed into a smirk. "Although I don't think Darcy's that great of a chaperone." Peter laughed.
"No, she really isn't." Emma said and Peter smiled at her once more.
"We'll have fun." Peter reassured her. "Just don't think of anything aside from you and me in this city having fun, okay? When we're older I promise I'll take you to a lot of cities. Maybe even Paris. Paris is pretty, right? It's the city of love, after all."
"I hate Paris." Emma told him which caused Peter to give her an amused look.
"How about Los Angeles? There's probably a ton of cool stuff there." Peter suggested and Emma wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Los Angeles is probably the most disgusting place in the world. I wouldn't set foot in that city. It's more than likely full of wannabe actors and musicians. I'd rather not." Emma said bitterly but Peter just laughed at her. It was so like Emma to put down every city in the world. Of course, Emma wouldn't want to go to a city where everyone else wanted to go. She was just entirely unique that way.
"Okay so what city do you want to go to? Where in the world would you want to go?" Peter asked her honestly, very curious to hear where Emma wanted to go. A more relaxed expression came over her face as she seriously considered his question. Emma, however, already knew she had the answer to his question.
"I'd like to go back to Japan someday." Emma said softly as Peter stared at her intently. He remembered her talking about Japan before on their first date. It was one of the few places that Emma had ever talked about enjoying. "Nishiizu, Japan. It's probably one of the most beautiful places in the world. I've never been there. I had business in Shimoda which was nearby but I never made it to Nishiizu."
"Then we'll go to Nizizu." Peter told her as he pronounced the name incorrectly and Emma just laughed at him.
"It's called Nishiizu, Parker." Emma told him and Peter rolled his eyes playfully.
"Whatever. My point is that someday I'll take you to Nishiizu. I promise." Peter told her and Emma smiled at him in return, knowing that she was hopelessly in love with Peter Parker. Their moment, however, was then broken by someone who Emma constantly fantasized about killing.
"Looking good, Lewis." Flash said smugly as he took his seat next to her, looking the blonde up and down. Peter glared hatefully at the teenage boy while Emma just gave him a disgusted look. Leave it to Flash to ruin a romantic moment between herself and Peter.
"It's too bad that I can't say the same about you." Emma retorted, causing Flash to frown before his attention turned to Peter. The short boy glared at Peter who was still holding onto Emma's hand. He hated how Emma Lewis, one of the prettiest girls at Midtown, was none other than Peter Parker's girlfriend. Peter Parker who always had the highest grades and Peter Parker who all the teachers loved. Perfect Peter Parker who also had the hottest girl at Midtown on his arm. It was annoying to see the dorky teenage boy get everything without even trying.
"Nice to see that you've finally showed up, Penis Parker." Flash said sarcastically. "It's not like we need you anyways. We were just fine last time when you and Lewis snuck off together." Cindy Moon sighed heavily from down the table.
"Don't act so high and mighty, Flash. You didn't answer a single question last time." Cindy told him and Flash blushed.
"T-that's not f-fair. I didn't ditch like Penis Parker." Flash struggled to point out.
"Whatever, Eugene." Emma said nonchalantly as she remained just as cozy and close to Peter as before. "Parker and I are here now so let's not dwell on the past like an asshole." Flash gave Emma a surprised look.
"What did you just call me?" Flash asked her and Emma smirked at him. Flash blushed an even more vibrant shade of red at Emma's comment.
"Your name's Eugene, isn't it?" Emma inquired but she already knew the answer. Flash looked entirely embarrassed as everyone at the table stared at him. He instead just glared down at the table, avoiding everyone's gaze.
"Shut up." He muttered and Emma had a satisfied look on her face as Peter, Ned, and Abe snickered while Sally and Cindy looked entirely amused. Michelle just raised an eyebrow, looking in between Emma and Flash. Charles looked conflicted but ultimately decided that his friend probably didn't want to be comforted this time around. It was probably a good decision on his part.
With that, the competition began and it was one of the lamest things she had ever experienced. All these little idiots rushing to hit the bell just so they could answer a stupid question that held little importance in the world. Emma also hated the stupid smile on the other teenagers' faces whenever they answered something correctly. It's like they were little people pleasers. Ew.
They had already finished the essay portion of the semi-finals with Cindy giving a speech as another part of the competition. Peter had already answered numerous questions but Emma hadn't answered that many. She only answered the ones that her team didn't know which were usually the language questions. Michelle pretty much had their backs on literature for the most part. During one of the breaks, she could see that their team was the ridicule of the German and English teams. The Germans particularly had a good time calling the boys on the team asshole and dickhead in German while also hitting on the girls in German. Emma found it entirely insulting.
"Du hast einen schönen Po und lange beine. Warum kommst du nicht mit mir nach Hause und ich kann dir eine wirklich gute Zeit zeigen. Mehr als dein amerikanischer Freund, der wahrscheinlich einen kleinen Schwanz hat ( You have a nice ass and long legs. Why don't you come back home with me and I can show you a really good time. More than your American boyfriend who probably has a small cock)." One of the German boys told Emma as he and his buddies giggled, thinking that because Emma and her classmates were Americans that all of them were somehow stupid. Well, most of them didn't understand German except for Emma and Sally Avril who took German as one of her electives. Emma glared at the stupid German boy.
"Der Einzige mit einem kleinen Schwanz bist du. Nicht die Klappe halten, bevor ich drüben gehe und dein Gesicht neu anordne, du kraut Arschloch frisst(The only one with a small cock is you. Now shut the fuck up before I go over there and reaarange your face, you kraut eating asshole)." Emma hissed at the boys in fluent German. The boys gave her a shocked look as they then quickly turned away from her. Sally gasped a little in surprise before she started giggling while the rest of the team just watched on in confusion. Emma looked at them, not seeming at all bothered by what just occurred.
"I just gave him the formal German greeting." Emma told everyone but they didn't look convinced. Especially Peter who gave her a doubtful look as everyone looked away from her and started chatting amongst themselves.
"Why do I feel like you're lying?" Peter questioned and Emma just smirked at him.
The competition resumed not long after that. Emma even managed to answer a couple Shakespeare questions which of course annoyed the English team. Before they knew it the competition ended with Midtown winning the semi-finals which meant that they would compete in the finals on Wednesday against the Japanese and Wakandan teams. Emma wasn't happy because this meant that she had to sit next to Flash again but at least she only had to do it one more time before they could go home. However, Emma tried not to dwell on having to sit next to Flash. Peter was right…this was trip was supposed to be fun. She wasn't going to try and ruin it with being her bitter and cynical self. At least she was going to see her grandmother's grave. Emma had never gotten the chance to visit her grandmother's grave and the best part was that she was going to have Peter with her. Everything would turn out alright.
Margaret Elizabeth Carter-Sousa
April 9th, 1921- May 18th, 2016
Beloved Wife, Mother, and Friend
"Compromise where you can but where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree and say, "No, you move."
-Peggy Carter
"I like the quote." Peter said, breaking Emma out of her thoughts. They had arrived at the cemetery not that long ago. Darcy was leaning up against a tree, chatting with Ned and Michelle, near the entrance of the cemetery. She knew that after they were finished Darcy was going to take them to Covent Garden so Emma didn't want to take too long. She knew that a cemetery wasn't necessarily a fun place to hang out at although Michelle probably thought so. Emma had been staring at the tombstone for the past few minutes as she remembered her grandmother. She didn't remember a lot of her grandmother before she had been abducted but the last couple years had been hard for Emma to see. Peggy Carter, who had once been the most legendary agent of all time, had been reduced to a frail shell of the empowered woman that she used to be. It had broken Emma's heart to see her that way and Peggy had gotten even worse during those last few months. At least Peggy was at peace now.
"She was very wise." Emma said quietly before glancing at the small bouquet of flowers resting on the ground. The flowers looked to be a couple weeks old at the most. It was a bit puzzling to Emma but not too puzzling. She knew that she had an aunt that still lived in London so the flowers might've been from her. "It was just so sad to see her that way during those last few months."
"It must've been really hard on your grandfather." Peter said softly and Emma shrugged.
"I suppose. He said that he had long accepted that they were never meant to be but I think deep down he wishes that things had turned out differently." Emma told him honestly. "I mean, I think he has feelings for Susan but at the same time there's this factor of him not knowing what could've been had he never crashed into the ocean. It haunts him to this very day. He never said anything but I know he dreams of a life where he never crashed into the ocean and he married my grandmother…a life where he raised my father and grew old at my grandmother's side." Peter stared at Emma as he thought about whether or not he should tell her what was on his mind. He eventually decided to tell her since they promised to not keep secrets from one and other.
"I had a nightmare like that." Peter admitted and Emma looked at him in surprise. She didn't really understand his meaning.
"A nightmare about Steve crashing into the ocean?" Emma questioned and Peter immediately shook his head.
"No, I had a nightmare about you crashing into the ocean." Peter told her and Emma just stared at him silently, not knowing what to say. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I had a nightmare that you crashed into the ocean and been frozen for seventy years and I was an old man by the time you woke up. You were still really young and pretty while I was this gross and disgusting old man."
Emma continued to stare at Peter as he finished speaking. Peter was almost going to say something else to break the silence when Emma abruptly broke out in laughter. He stared at quizzically as she laughed at him. It was her real, musical laughter too because he could see how her entire face lit up as she laughed. Peter wanted to be mad because she was laughing at him but he couldn't find it himself to be angry with her when she was laughing. She was so beautiful when she laughed…well, she was always beautiful to him but she was even more beautiful when she looked as happy as she did in that moment.
"You're hilarious, Parker." Emma told him as Peter attempted to glare at her but he miserably failed in the process. She calmed down a bit after her fit of laughter and instead gave Peter a soft smile. "I'm not going to crash into the ocean like Steve. You don't have to worry."
"You totally could." Peter argued as he tried to get her to see that this could actually happen someday. "If it happened to Steve then it could happen to you too. You would still be young and beautiful while I'd be this gross old man. You probably wouldn't want me anymore either." Emma rolled her eyes at the sad look on his face. Her boyfriend could really be over dramatic sometimes. Did he seriously think that this would happen?
"Parker, I think you're completely crazy to think that this is something that would ever happen but I'll ease your worries anyways." Emma told sincerely before continuing as he paid avid attention to her. "If I ever get frozen for a good chunk of time I promise that I'll still want you. I'll want you even if you're old, fat, and gross looking like Tony." Peter gave her a hopeful look.
"Really?" He asked her in a small voice as she then smiled a bit mischievously at him.
"Yes. Even if you were a seventy year old man, I'd still sleep with you." Emma said flirtatiously and Peter blushed.
"Emma…" He trailed off, not knowing what he could to say to something like that. Emma smirked at how red he got when she said that.
"I bet old man Peter would still be really hot. You'd probably have a ton of gray hair and wrinkles but I'd still want to have sex with you." Emma told him in the most serious voice she could muster. Peter's eyes glanced back to her grandmother's tombstone and he looked even more uncomfortable.
"Emma, you shouldn't be saying that here of all places. We're sitting on your grandmother's grave." Peter tried to tell her but Emma just rolled her eyes at him again.
"It's not like she's going to stick her skeleton hand out of the grave and pull you under, Peter." Emma teased but Peter looked even more freaked out. Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes yet again because she knew her boyfriend probably watched The Walking Dead way too much. The look on her face then softened as she looked back at him. "I'm just trying to say that it doesn't matter how old you are or how old I am…you'll always be my Spider-Twerp." Peter swallowed hard as he gazed at the sincere look on Emma's face. He gave her a small smile.
"And you'll always be my little snake." Peter told her and Emma immediately made a face at that nickname.
"Don't call me that." Emma told him and Peter gave her an amused smile.
"Why not?" He questioned although he wasn't really concerned with Emma's attitude towards the nickname.
"Because I still have my dignity." Emma told him and Peter just shook his head at her in amusement.
"You call me Spider-Twerp." Peter pointed out.
"Yeah, because you have no dignity." Emma shot back and Peter knew he should've been mad at her but truthfully he loved bickering with her. She rested her head against his shoulder as they both sat there at her grandmother's grave. "Thank you." Emma said softly and Peter gave her a curious look.
"Thank you for what?" Peter asked her and Emma just smiled.
"Thank you for being so good to me." Emma murmured and Peter didn't understand why she always thanked him for being nice to her. She shouldn't thank him for being a decent person. However, Peter knew that Emma, despite how confident she sometimes acted, had a low self-esteem. It was a result of all the trauma she had been through in her childhood. She had been through a lot of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse…so much that it clearly still haunted her more than she was willing to admit. Somehow, because of this, Emma believed that she didn't deserve to be happy but Peter was intent on making her see that it was okay to be happy. No one deserved to be happy more than Emma.
"You don't need to thank me, Emma." Peter told her and Emma looked at him from under her lashes, suddenly seeming very shy.
"I know you've had to put up with a lot." Emma told him, a certain amount of sadness in her voice. "I haven't made it easy on you either." Peter just shook his head at her.
"Emma, I already told you that what happened in your past doesn't change the way I feel about you." Peter replied and Emma wondered how she could deserve someone as amazing as Peter. There was so much goodness and so much pureness in him. "I'm just happy that you trusted me enough to tell me the truth."
"I'm glad I told you too." Emma said softly because she honestly was happy that she had told him. She liked that there wasn't any more secrets between them which was strange because Emma always thought someone knowing the truth about her would ruin her but it was actually the opposite. Emma didn't feel alone and strangely she felt free now that Peter knew.
"We should probably go. Darcy, Michelle, and Ned are waiting for us." Peter murmured although his gaze was still focused on her face. Emma just nodded and figured that Peter was probably right. They couldn't sit in this cemetery all day. Her grandmother wouldn't want it that way.
Peter got up from the ground and Emma made a move to follow him but not before something caught her eye. There was a piece of blue colored paper in the bouquet of old, dying flowers at her grandmother's grave. She would've completely ignored the piece of paper had it not been for the small inscription written across the paper in neat handwriting. Emma reached for the note before staring down at the writing but it didn't take a genius to figure out who had put the bouquet there.
To My Best Girl
"Steve was here." Emma whispered as she finally stood up from the ground, the note and bouquet in her hand. Peter gave her a quizzical look.
"What?" He questioned in confusion and Emma held up the note with the writing on it.
"My best girl…it's the same thing he called me in that letter he sent. It's what he used to call her." Emma said and Peter looked down at the note in surprise.
The realization then dawned on her and Emma could even feel her heart skip a beat. She barely spared Peter another glance before she started rushing over in the direction of the funeral home near the entrance of the cemetery. Peter called after her as she ran over to the funeral home but she ignored him. Emma knew what she was doing was puzzling but all logic escaped her mind the moment she saw the note. She entered the funeral home, not even out of breath, as she walked over to the front counter where a receptionist was seated. The receptionist smiled politely at Emma but Emma had a very serious expression on her face.
"How may I help you?" The receptionist asked her and Emma lifted up the old bouquet of rotten flowers, her hand slightly shaky.
"Do you know who left this at one of the graves?" Emma asked suddenly, sounding very nervous and on edge. It was unlike her to not be so composed but this was a unique situation. The receptionist then gave her a slightly confused look.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but are you asking me who left that bouquet of flowers at one of the plots?" The receptionist required and Emma nodded, not being able to find it in herself to speak. "I'm sorry but there isn't a sign in sheet. People come and go all day." Emma felt a wave of disappointment come over her because she knew the woman was right. What was she even thinking? People didn't sign in when they visited cemeteries. Why would they?
"Oh…" Emma trailed off, not knowing what else she could say. "Thanks anyways…I guess." The receptionist just gave her an apologetic smile. Emma felt like she might've lost all hope as she turned around to leave but she was stepped in her steps by a voice.
"You wouldn't happen to be asking about the American that came here, would you?" Emma turned around and was met by the sight of a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties standing in the lobby of the funeral home. He was very good looking, Emma supposed, with his dark brown hair and big brown eyes although he was rather pale which Emma assumed was because he was English. The English were usually pale. He was very clean shaven with short hair and no beard. The man, however, didn't appear to be very tall…he was maybe an inch or two taller than Emma.
"And what if I am? What's it to you, anyways?" Emma questioned once she found it in herself to finally speak. The man didn't look offended in the least as he gave Emma an amused smile.
"I think it concerns me a great deal since you're holding the bouquet of flowers from my grandmother's grave and inquiring about the man who left them there." The man told her and Emma's eyes widened in surprise as she stared back at him. Grandmother? Wait…of course. Emma should've known better. Of course, her grandmother had other grandchildren. Emma always knew that she wasn't the only one. Peggy had two other children after Emma's father and this man must be the child of either Emma's aunt or uncle. Her cousin and not a distant cousin like Sharon either. No, he was an actual first cousin and it was weird staring in the face of someone who was so closely related to her. A long lost relative. Emma would never lose count of all the long lost relatives she had met in her life. First there was Alexander Pierce who was only one of her grandfathers and then there was Steve who was the grandfather that wasn't an evil Hydra loving asshole. Of course, there was also Peggy but then there was Sharon too. Now there was this guy and who knew how many other relatives she had running around out there. Probably a lot.
"I'm Daniel Langley." He introduced and Emma decided that her and her newly found cousin didn't look much alike. Emma thought it was a weird coincidence that she looked more like Steve while her cousin looked more like Peggy. Emma wordlessly handed him the bouquet back but the man still didn't look offended that she had taken the bouquet in the first place. He took the bouquet back and Emma gave him a curious look.
"The man you saw…did you get a good look at him?" Emma asked quietly and Daniel gave her another amused look.
"I know who he was…and I think you know too." Daniel told her in a nonchalant tone and Emma looked surprised.
"What?" She questioned and Daniel chuckled.
"I've seen enough pictures and heard enough stories to know who that man was." Daniel said to her as Emma listened to him intently. "Don't get me wrong. I know my grandmother loved my grandfather dearly but we all knew that she longed for another…the one who got away. It was nice finally meeting the man I grew up hearing so much about." Emma gave him a cautious look as she considered everything he told her.
"Why didn't you turn him in then? He's a war criminal, you know." Emma told Daniel seriously and he shrugged.
"A lot of people visit my grandmother's grave but not many spend as much time there as he did. It's nice to know that someone cared that much." Daniel answered and his answer satisfied Emma's curiosity.
"When did you last see him here?" Emma asked him.
"About a week and a half ago. I'm afraid you've just missed him…I haven't seen him since." Daniel said honestly and Emma nodded to herself. So Steve was here, after all? Emma could laugh at how close their lives had just come to intersecting after almost a year. It was almost like fate was messing with them.
"Did he seem okay?" Emma asked quietly and Daniel before nodding.
"Yes although we didn't exchange a lot of words." Daniel said and Emma took in that piece of information. So Steve really was there. It was just too bad that they had missed each other.
"Well, thank you." Emma said, signaling to him that their conversation was coming to an end. She didn't bother to say goodbye as she turned to leave. It was best not to spend any more time around this guy. He'd start asking questions soon enough and Emma wasn't so sure she wanted that. However, what he'd say next would surprise her and stop her in her steps.
"I know who you are too." He announced and Emma slowly turned back to face him. Her face was full of surprise as she stared back at him and he gave her a knowing look.
"Excuse me?" Emma questioned but Daniel just smiled at her.
"Come on, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to put it all together. Captain America showing up to my grandmother's grave and then a teenage girl coming around asking questions almost two weeks later. Not to mention you look quite a bit like the captain. It's uncanny." Daniel explained to her as Emma just watched him, an unreadable expression on her face. "My little cousin Emma would be about your age now too so I'm assuming that you're her."
"You don't really seem surprised that I'm alive." Emma stated and Daniel shrugged.
"Well, Uncle Steven was a bit abnormal because he was his father's child so I figure that maybe you are too since you're Uncle Steven's child." Daniel informed her and Emma decided that her cousin was a lot smarter than he looked. Emma stared at him long and hard before finally speaking again.
"I know that you're probably going to tell your family about me but I just hope you know that I won't go willingly with you if you want to take custody of me. You should tell your mother and uncle that." Emma told him bitterly but Daniel just looked confused.
"Why would we take custody of you? We don't have any right to." Daniel replied and now Emma was the confused one.
"What do you mean?" She questioned and it seemed like Daniel might've known something that Emma didn't.
"Well, I'm assuming that you're in your godfather's custody right now. That's the way Uncle Steven would've wanted it so I don't think my mother and Uncle Michael would do anything to jeopardize that." Daniel told her but this didn't ease Emma's confusion. Godfather? What was Daniel talking about? Emma didn't have a godfather. However, before Emma could continue to question Daniel about this, Peter showed up.
"Emma, where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you." Peter asked her as he entered the lobby. He then looked in between Emma and Daniel almost suspiciously. Emma just nodded as she looked back at Daniel.
"It was nice meeting you, I guess." Emma told him and Daniel just smiled at her.
"It was nice seeing you again, Emma. You've grown up so much." Daniel told her kindly. "I'm just glad you're okay. Hopefully we'll see each other again." Emma gave him a short nod before turning away from him and walking away. Peter glanced between her and the handsome stranger before following his girlfriend. Emma didn't say anything as they walked out of the funeral home which frustrated him but he was still used to it. He usually had to literally pull information out of her. Emma wasn't the most forthcoming with information like normal people were. It wasn't because she was hiding anything but she just didn't seem to have the ability of naturally sharing information people might like to know.
"Who was that?" He asked as he kept looking back at the building behind them. Emma shrugged.
"My cousin, I guess." Emma told him and Peter's eyes widened in surprise.
"Another cousin? Emma, I thought you promised to tell me if you had any more family members running around." Peter complained and Emma just gave him a look.
"Well, I didn't even know he existed until fifteen minutes ago." Emma informed him and a look of understanding came over his face. Wow, Emma really had a lot of family members coming out of the woodwork, Peter thought to himself.
"Woah…" Peter said, not knowing what to say to something like that.
"Yeah." Emma said in response as they continued making their way over to where Darcy, Michelle, and Ned were. She sighed heavily.
"I have a feeling we might be seeing more of the Carter family. Something tells me that my dear cousin over there isn't going to keep his trap shut about me being alive." Emma said before she turned to look at Peter and she noticed that he had a goofy smile on his face. "What do you look so damn happy about?"
"I get to meet more of your family." Peter told her as he continued to smile at her and Emma just rolled her eyes at him.
"I don't understand why you're so obsessed with meeting my family. You do know that even I haven't met most of them." Emma replied but Peter didn't seem let down by her answer.
"Of course I want to meet your family. They're a part of you." Peter told her excitedly and Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him again even though she secretly found him adorable when he looked like that. "I can't wait to meet your grandfather and father too. I mean, I'm a little intimidated, because this is Captain America and the Winter Soldier we're talking about, but I'm going to make it my mission to get them to like me. Maybe they'll love me so much that we'll go on little bonding trips together. That would be fun, right?"
Emma looked at Peter like he was insane because he kind of was if he thought that getting her father and grandfather to like him would be that easy. Well, Steve would probably like Peter but she doubted her father would. Emma and her father were a lot alike which made sense since he practically raised her. However, Emma couldn't see her father loving Peter because there was also a huge difference her and her father. Emma was completely in love with Peter Parker…she was in love with everything from his dorky personality to his warm brown eyes and not to mention that Peter was insanely hot to top it all off. One thing Emma knew for sure was that her father wasn't likely going to see Peter the same way she did. Her father wasn't going to be pulled in by Peter's warm brown eyes or pretty face like she always was. Yeah, Emma couldn't really see her father and Peter going on any father and son-in-law bonding trips in the near future. She almost snorted at the thought of Peter and her father doing something so mundane as going on a fishing trip. Wouldn't that be a hilarious sight to see?
"Good luck with that, Parker. The chance my father would actually like you went away the day you felt me up." Emma told Peter who blushed in response.
"It's not like you'll tell him about that, right?" Peter asked and Emma smirked at him.
"I don't know. Maybe I will." Emma said casually and Peter's eyes widened as he gave her an almost frightened look. "The look on Papa's face would be hilarious."
"You can't tell him about that, Emma! He'll kill me!" Peter exclaimed as he began to panic but Emma didn't seem bothered.
"You don't have anything to worry about, Peter. You can totally take him." Emma said in a reassuring tone but Peter didn't feel reassured.
"I'm not fighting your dad." He told her and Emma gave him an amused look.
"It would be entertaining if you did." Emma told him and Peter just shook his head as they walked back to the others. She still couldn't believe that Steve had been there and she also couldn't believe she had met another cousin of hers. Emma briefly wondered how many cousins she had. Probably quite a few. The Carter family seemed to large in a way that the Rogers family wasn't. Even though Emma knew that Steve was long gone, she was comforted by the thought that he was okay. Emma knew that he was closer than ever and that gave her hope. Maybe the day they would see each other again wasn't so far away, after all.
Hydra Headquarters
The Swiss Alps
The base was no longer the quiet and empty base that it had been a couple months before. The large base was now bustling with newly recruited Hydra agents as they all rushed to get their work done. It had taken a little time but Brock Rumlow had finally done it. He had finally built Hydra back up from the ashes. If only Alexander Pierce was still alive so that he could see Brock's good work. A smile reached Brock's face as he watched all the Hydra scientists on the floor below working on the alien weaponry they had purchased from those idiots in New York. He still couldn't believe the nerve of those fools. They had all that power in their grasp and they used it on ATMs. No, Brock had bigger and better plans for these weapons. Plans that would soon win him the prize that Hydra would finally be able to reclaim.
"Sir, may I have a word?" Lance Collins requested as he entered the room. The decorated British MI6 agent walked into Rumlow's office and Brock turned away from the large glass pane window. Brock was still wearing his Cross Bones mask which he rarely ever took off but most of the agents at base were used to it by now.
"What is it, Collins?" Brock said in a gruff tone and the agent walked into the office, shutting the door behind him. Lance then glanced around the office briefly as he noticed several alarming pictures glued to the wall. All the pictures were of the Viper Assassin. Pictures that were printed out from the internet. Everyone at the base knew that Rumlow had a weird obsession with the famous assassin. His obsession was something more than a simple desire for Hydra to have a weapon. Lance had seen the way that Brock had stared at those pictures. He always got an unsettling feeling whenever he saw the predatory smile on his superior's face when he stared at those pictures. Lance didn't dare to question Brock's true intentions either because the last time an agent did that, the agent got his brains blown out. Lance might be suspicious of his superior but he also wanted to keep his brains inside his head.
"I'd like to inform you that Dr. Hugo and Dr. Marlow have finally made a breakthrough on the weapons." Lance informed Brock who actually seemed genuinely surprised by this news. It was seldom that they ever got any good news and this was a very good piece of news. Hydra had spent the past couple months collecting all the alien tech they could and it had been fairly difficult. After Toomes went to prison there wasn't a lot of dealers around. It was good to know that they were finally getting somewhere.
"That's good news." Brock said as he looked at the agent approvingly. "We'll be able to proceed with the attack on the facility within the next couple weeks then. Everything's going according to plan." Brock was about to turn away to admire the pictures he had hung on his wall when he saw Lance hesitate to leave. He raised an eyebrow.
"Is there something else, Collins?" Brock asked as he sneered at the man. Lance swallowed nervously before nodding, revealing the folder he had hidden underneath his arm. He then hesitantly handed the folder over to him and Brock took the folder with a suspicious look on his face. "What is this?"
"One of the IT guys found this off Instagram." Lance said as Brock flipped open the folder and started looking at the pictures inside. What he saw, however, wasn't anything he would've imagined in a hundred years. While there were many pictures of Emma Rogers within the folder, she wasn't the only one in the pictures. Every picture seemed to be of the young blonde next to a teenage boy with brown hair and a wide smile. Brock looked down in distaste when he saw the boy with his arm around her but he felt a sensation of rage come over himself when he saw one picture in particular. It was a picture taken in front of Big Ben in London but that wasn't what pissed him off. No, it was the fact that his princess was kissing the boy in the picture.
Emma and the boy appeared to be locked in a rather passionate embrace as they kissed in front of Big Ben. It would've been an entirely untroubling picture had it not been Rumlow who was staring at it. A lot of emotions came over him but none as strong as the betrayal that Brock felt. He clenched his jaw as he stared at his princess in the arms of some scrawny teenage boy. That little whore! Brock immediately crumpled the folder of pictures in his hands which put Lance on edge. Brock turned away in anger as he was forced to fixate on the image that was now engraved into his mind. She was just like her mother, Brock thought bitterly to herself. Spreading her legs for any man who came her way. Brock was no fool. He knew Margot had her share of men even before Rogers Jr. However, Brock also thought that Emma would be different. He thought he was the only one that would ever have her…that she would remain his and only his. He was wrong…he was wrong because she was just like her mother deep down. Climbing into the beds of men everywhere. She just couldn't keep her legs closed, could she?
"The profile is of a sixteen year old boy named Peter Benjamin Parker. He attends the same school as the Asset." Lance told him and Brock could barely utter a word as he glared at the ground. "I suspect that he and the one who calls himself Spider-Man may, in fact, be the same person." Brock looked up in surprise when he heard what Lance just told him.
"What?" Brock questioned and Lance shrugged.
"Well, the Viper Assassin has always been seen with Spider-Man. The public even likes to believe that they're something like a couple. Now, however, she's been photographed out of costume with this boy. It's not hard to connect the dots." Lance explained and Brock nodded because he had to admit that Lance had a point there.
"So this little boy is the circus freak in tights?" Brock said bitterly as he looked at the crumpled photograph of the boy on the floor.
"I believe so." Lance confirmed.
"Well, fine then. We'll kill him and get her. It's that simple." Brock said and he knew he couldn't wait to wrap his hands around that boy's neck, strangling the life out of him. He would make Emma watch too so she knew what happened when she invited someone into bed that wasn't him.
"I don't think it will be that easy, sir." Lance told his superior. "We've seen the videos of Spider-Man on the internet. He's strong…stronger than both the assets combined. Killing him isn't an option. The only question is whether or not we can subdue him long enough to retrieve the Asset." Brock considered what Lance said thoughtfully.
According to Lance, Peter might still be a child but Brock wasn't stupid. Spider-Man was so strong that he was able to hold up two halves of a ferry together with his bare hands. He was even able to stop a bus. The fact that this Spider-Man guy was apparently one of the strongest beings in the world annoyed Rumlow but not for the reason most people would've thought. It was because it made him realize why his princess was so drawn to this boy. Of course she was. Emma had always liked strong men. The way she had followed the Winter Soldier like a lost puppy had always frustrated him. It frustrated him because she never looked at him that way or followed him around like that. Whenever the Winter Soldier wasn't there, she still talked about him. It was like the Winter Soldier was her whole world and the thought made Brock jealous. He may or may have gotten even more pleasure from watching that one armed moron get his brains fried over and over again.
However, now Brock was faced with an even worse problem. The Winter Soldier wasn't currently in the picture so Emma had replaced him with this little boy. The realization hit him in that instance that she would never pick him. His princess would never pick him because he wasn't strongest one, was he? She had picked the Winter Soldier and Spider-Man because of their strength but she was never going to pick him because he would never match up. Her mother was the same way. She had picked Rogers. Jr, hadn't she? Rogers Jr. had been one of the most accomplished Shield agents in history and the deputy director as well. Brock had gotten rid of Margot's precious Rogers Jr., expecting her to come running to him but she hadn't. Margot merely looked at him in rage and disgust so he had been forced to kill her too. His princess was the only thing he had left so he couldn't let her go down the same path as her mother. He couldn't let her go off with the wrong man. Not when she belonged to him.
Hydra did their research and Brock knew that it would be silly to think that they could just kill Spider-Man. No one else had been able to accomplish that task yet so how could they hope to do the same? His princess certainly had a very particular taste which could've made Brock apprehensive about how to move forward in this scenario but somehow he wasn't that apprehensive. No, he had an idea about how to move forward in Hydra's plan in retrieving the Viper Assassin. The question of subduing Spider-Man, Stark, and those other freaks at that facility wouldn't even be a problem if Hydra was able to accomplish what he thought they could. He then smirked as he started forming a new plan. One that would be even better than the original.
"I agree with you, Collins." Brock finally said as he came back into reality. Lance raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly concerned for his superior. Well, not concerned for him but more concerned of what his superior's delusions might do to Hydra.
"You do?" Lance questioned and Brock nodded.
"Which is why I think we'll be much better off initiating Project Viper." Brock informed him and Lance gave him a quizzical look.
"Project Viper? You mean the project where Hydra was going to have the Winter Soldier impregnate-" Lance started to say before Brock interrupted him, furiously shaking his head as he tried to forget the old Hydra project that Pierce had created.
"No, I'm talking about Project Viper 2.0." He told Lance. "Hydra's back-up plan in case the Viper Assassin and the Winter Soldier ever escaped our custody. I can't think of an occasion better than this one to kick start it." Lance furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"Sir, what you're suggesting…" Lance said in bewilderment before continuing. "Do we even have any blood samples left?" Brock grinned as he stared back at Lance.
"A lot of them were destroyed by the Captain during the attack on the base in Sokovia but he didn't know that we had others…so many others planted in bases all around the world. You can never be too safe." Brock told him and Lance nodded. The British agent now understood what Brock was getting at. He knew what Brock had in mind for Hydra.
"Let's hold off on those plans to infiltrate the Avenger's Facility. I have something much better in plan." Brock ordered Lance who just nodded in response. "It may take a little time but I think it'll be worth it."
"What do you suggest we do in the meantime then?" Lance inquired and the smirk on Brock's face was unwavering.
"I think we should recruit Dr. List back into our little operation." Brock said deviously and Lance gave him a confused look.
"But, sir, Dr. List is imprisoned at Raft prison." Lance informed him, thinking that Brock may have forgotten. However, Brock didn't seem bothered by this information at all.
"Not for long." He said vaguely as he then looked back out the window that looked over the main hangar of the base. He watched as his men worked on the alien weaponry they had bought off those idiots back in the states. Getting Dr. List back wouldn't be a problem at all and with Dr. List back, he just knew they could get his princess back in no time.
If his princess wanted a strong man then a strong man she would have.