She was clawing her way through more mist, trying to escape this damn dream. Every night. Every night someone pulled her in, and every night it got harder and harder to get back out. And still, no one showed. It was her, and the mists.
Emory took in a deep breath, trying to settle her emotions. Sleep deprivation was starting to get to her. Deep breaths, in and out. Find the chink in the armor. Minutes passed, and she was still stuck there.
Suddenly, a baby's cry broke through the silence. Cara. If the outside world was leaking in, the wall were thin somewhere. She took a step towards the sound of her daughter's cry, and then another, until she was flat out running.
One minute she was running, and the next, falling out of bed. She was out. Emory took a moment to catch her breath, leaned up against the frame in the floor. Cara cried out again through the baby monitor, still upset.
Emory stood slowly, reluctant. She needed some sleep. Real sleep. But her daughter needed her more.
The darkness in the corner of her room shifted inward for a moment as a dark figure slipped back to the dreamscape.
When Bruce walked into the kitchen, the first thing he saw was a mass of wild, unkempt curls tumbling across the counter. The owner of said curls had her forehead on the counter, arms hanging limp at her side.
A cup of coffee sat next to her. It was obvious that the drink had been cold for a while, meaning Emory had been here for hours.
Bruce looked around the room. Children's toys lay scattered about, along with dirty clothes and towels. One cat stretched out on the floor in front of a large window, soaking up the late fall sunlight. The other curled up next to Cara on a quilt. Both were sleeping.
The little family had been in the tower for two months now, and having an infant around was stressful for everyone. Emory especially. Tony was at wit's end with the cats and the baby stuff everywhere, but they had nowhere else to go, not that was as safe as here.
He slid onto the stool next to her, perching his head on both hands. "Still not sleeping well?"
The mass of hair shifted as she turned to look at him, red eyes glaring up at him. "No." She buried her head back in her arms.
Bruce felt the corner of his mouth tug up at the behaviour. She was not a morning person. "Do you want to talk about it?"
This time she didn't bother to turn towards him, so the reply came out muffled. "No." The tug became a full out grin. "You know Kyle comes back tonight right? Clint and Natasha too."
"Mm."
"Am I going to get more than one syllable out of you at a time, Em, or are you pretending to be a caveman today?" She mustered enough energy to raise an arm, but only so she could flip him the bird.
"Oh so now we're using hand gestures. Nice. I really appreciate the sentiment."
With a huff, the mass of curls shot up as Emory finally raised her head. "Do you have any particular reason you are being so irritating, or are you just feeling suicidal? Because, really, between Cara not sleeping and these stupid dreams, I can't get enough sleep to function!"
A twinge of concern sprang through his gut. "Dreams? Are you having nightmares, Em?" He asked, putting all teasing aside. She stiffened beside him, and a strange expression passed over her face, but it disappeared before he could catch it.
"What? No, it's nothing." She flustered before turning away to run shaky hands through her matted hair. "At least, nothing I can't handle. I'll manage."
Bruce laid a gentle hand on her shoulder; she relaxed into it and turned back around. "You don't have to do anything alone. If you're having nightmares, you should get some help. You're obviously exhausted."
He pushed her back towards the suites. "Go take a nap, I've got the baby for now. Get some sleep, relax today, and Kyle will be back tonight. That should make things easier."
She nodded in silence and trudged through the open archway, looking as though she were already asleep.
He sighed as she disappeared down the hall. This was hard for her. Two months, and still not a whiff of who had attacked her. They had chased down every name they could think of, turned over every rock they came across, and still had no leads.
Tony even asked Emory if she knew anything about "Project Nightshade". Of course, she played dumb. Bruce suspected that she knew something about it, she had been too evasive not to, but the woman was a rock.
If she didn't want to talk, she wasn't going to. She would open up when and only if she were ready to. For now… he sighed and turned back to Cara sprawled out on a quilt, her small chest rising and falling with every breath.
For now, they chased down the leads they had, and kept this little family safe. Either something would break, or the fuss would die down. Bruce wasn't too worried about it. It did no good to stress over something he couldn't change, not with his condition. Frustration could get...ugly.
He spent an hour sipping and coffee and perusing the latest in nanotech before Cara began to stir. She began a low whimper that two months of experience told Bruce that she needed a change, so he reached down to scoop her up.
After a quick stop at the changing station, he headed to the elevator. "How about we go see who's down in the gym, yeah?" She smiled up at him. "You don't even know what I'm saying. You just like my voice, and I love that smile, so I'll just keep on talking to you."
"Uh….Dr. Banner? Who are you talking to?" Bruce turned around in surprise. Few people had authorization to be on this floor, and he didn't like surprises. The small spike of anxiety in his gut faded as he took in the tall blonde across the hall.
"Steve! I haven't seen you in months! How is everything?" The man across from him smiled, tugging at the towel hanging from his neck. That smile grew larger when he realized that Bruce was holding Cara.
"Is that a baby?" He surged forward, Banner's questions forgotten. All his attention was on the little girl in front of him. "Hello there! Who do you belong to?"
While he asked the child the question, Steve glanced up to Bruce while he asked it. "Someone attacked one of SHIELD's agents, and she is staying in the Tower until further notice."
He bounced Cara up and swiveled her around to get a better look at the other man. "This little bundle, my goddaughter Cara, came with her, along with a pair of hell-raising cats."
Without any more discussion Steve snatched the baby up, cuddling her close to his chest. His bright blue eyes sparkled in delight. "You mean she lives here? With us?!"
Bruce stared back. "Uh...yeah. Steve, I didn't know you liked babies." It was a little disconcerting, seeing this tall rugged man go crazy over a tiny human. And also hilarious. He pulled his phone out with as much subtlety as he could manage and began recording.
Oblivious to Bruce, the patriotic symbol of their country melted over a pair of big green eyes and a shy giggle. This was gold. He wondered how much he could sell this to Tony for. This was worth at least a 100 hours in his lab uninterrupted.
He followed the pair back up to the living quarters, capturing every embarrassing moment of Steve baby talking, cuddling, and making a general fool of himself over Cara. Pure gold.
Steve stopped short as they approached the living room, but it wasn't until Bruce came up next to him that he realized why. They had guests. Or rather, old comrades and new friends.
"Nat!" Steve rushed into the room, baby in his arms forgotten. "Did you just get back?"
The redhead looked up from the papers she was perusing with the others and then did a quick doubletake.
"Steve...are you holding a baby?"
A large man at the left her spoke up then. "I would like to add on to her question by asking: Are you holding my baby?"
The blonde looked down at the child in his arms, and then back up at the muscular soldier across the room. Red creeped up his neck and tinged his ears before he extended Cara out to who was apparently her father.
"I love babies. I kind of scooped her up from Bruce and I didn't realize she belonged to you." The words came out in a rush, Steve desperate to fix the awkward situation before it escalated.
The soldier stared at him, broken nose and scarred face, silent and unforgiving. Until a giant smile cracked that rocky face, and then he was laughing, big booming laughs that shook the walls.
Steve stared back, still holding Cara out like a sacrifice to a god. The soldier gladly took her, cuddling the baby to his chest. "It's all good man. I'm Kyle Black, Cara's father."
He extended the hand not holding his daughter out in a silent truce. Steve gladly took it. "Steve Rogers. It's nice to meet you, especially if it means that your girl is going to be here all the time too."
Kyle gave a long-suffering sigh, draping an arm across his eyes like a tragic Greek statue. "They never love me for me, only what I can give them." Cara reached up and patted his face, interrupting the monologue and causing him to grin again. "Not an appreciator of drama I see."
Natasha rolled her eyes and moved back to the papers on the table. She muttered, "Maybe the kid has some sense then."
Steve shared a look with Bruce. Something was wrong there. This was not the fast-quipping super spy they knew and loved.
Bruce stepped in to help. "Hey Kyle, Em is asleep in the suite if you want to go surprise her. I know she's been stressing without you." Kyle shared a long look with him before nodding and heading for the door.
"A nap sounds like a great idea anyways, don't you think you scamp?" Cara giggled as he chucked a large finger under her chin.
As soon as he cleared the room Nat gave a sigh of relief. Both men looked at her in question. She stayed silent for a moment before finally saying, "Something is wrong. Those people are not who they say they are."