Chapter 6

Andy sat nervously in the panic room of the tower, trying to stay mentally connected to the team, but not interfere. Andy wanted to help, but Tony said no, not until she had had more training. She could feel Steve's anxiety starting pick up and so did her's. She wanted to calm him, but she knew it would be wrong and she didn't want to jeopardize the mission or the team. Then she felt it, a mixture of pain, anger, and irritation. Steve was hurt and pissed. She sent out a wave of calm, but in a matter of seconds a new bout of anger rose within him. It was a few hours before the team came in and Andy was released from the panic room. She found Steve, who was in the common room with the rest of the team, and he was still really mad. She went to ask him if he was ok, but he brushed her off.

"We need to talk, go to my room I'll be there in a second." He ordered. Tony was about to say something about bossing his daughter around.

"We don't need your input dad." Andy said and went to Steve's room. She didn't like the idea of Steve ordering her around, but he probably had a good reason. Andy waited nervously on the bed, her pulse quickened as she felt him grow closer. Steve walked in and started to change out of his uniform.

"What happened?" She asked, breaking the silence.

"You should know, you were digging around in my head the whole time. I don't understand, you say you know messing with my head is wrong, yet you keep doing it." He growled.

"I'm sorry Steve." She apologized. "I've been having a hard time controlling it lately, especially when it comes to you." Andy explained.

"You have to get a handle on it, you distracted me during a mission, you put the team at risk." He scolded and she looked down in shame.

"I'm sorry." She whispered as a salty tear slipped off her nose. He made no attempt to comfort her. Steve put his shoes on and laced them up.

"Where are you going?" Andy asked.

"Debriefing, come on, Fury will want to talk to you too." Andy nodded, she wiped her tears with her sweater sleeve and sniffled. Andy attempted to calm herself, knowing Tony would flip out and assume the worst if he saw her crying. All the avengers sat in a boardroom, talking about what had just happened. Then Steve embarrassed Andy in front of the whole team by telling them what she had done, as if she didn't already feel bad enough.

"In light of recent events, what happened tonight and what happened with the protester, It would be in Miss Stark's best interest to spend some time in a mutant rehabilitation facility." Fury announced.

"With all due respect Fury, I am a diplomate, I've dedicated my life to taking down those types of institutions. Mutants are abused and treated like animals in those facilities." She said, Tony visibly winced as she spoke, remembering the months he'd left her in one of those places. When he visited her he found her terrorfied and half dead, he never forgave himself for that.

"No way in hell is she going there!" He growled, slamming his hands on the table.

"This facility is Shield owned and operated, I can assure you, that she will be perfectly safe."

"Don't I get a say in this? This is my life, this mutant mind and body belongs to me, you can't make those kinds of choices. Fury I never signed a contract with you, you have no control over my life." She barked and stomped out of my room. Anger radiated off of her like heat off a paved road. She went to her room and locked the door behind her. As she expected there was a knock, but she ignored it.

"Miss Stark, Captain Rogers is at the door."

"I know Jarvis." She groaned.

"Baby please open the door, I'm not mad."

"Well I am, so piss off!" She barked through the door.

"Andy I'll break the door down."

"Go ahead!" She shouted back, so he did. The door came off the hinges and she sat on the bed with her arms crossed.

"I'm not going to let them send you away." Steve told her.

"But you let them talk about me! Like I was a child! Like I wasn't even in the room!" She spat. "After all the work I've put into mutant rights, to just have it stripped away from me, like I'm less than human!" Steve jolted back as her eyes glowed bright green.

"Baby please calm down." Steve said and slowly approached her. She jerked away spastically and threw a shelf at him with hulk like strength, luckily she had really bad aim.

"Get away from me!" She screamed, but he didn't.

"Jarvis lock the room down."

"Yes Captain Rogers." Another door descended where the other had been.

"Baby you aren't less than human. I'm sorry if we made you feel that way. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way, I was insensitive and I realize that now." Her eyes returned to a soft blue and she looked at the destruction she had caused. She broke into tears and he engulfed her in his arms. He picked her up, disengaged lock down, and took her to solitary. He didn't want to, but it was protocol. Steve told the shield medical staff what had happened and they did a brainscan. Andy was nervous and uncomfortable, Steve assured her that everything was ok. Steve talked to Dr. Cho while Andy slept off a sedative that they had given her.

"Her left frontal lobe and temporal lobes aren't functioning properly." Dr. Cho explained.

"What does that mean?" Steve wondered aloud.

"We think the part of her brain that controls her empathic ability is over taking her left frontal lobe and temporal lobes, the parts of her brain that are in charge of making moral judgments." Cho expounded.

"What about the green eyes and super strength?" He questioned.

"Well Doctor Banner was in his cell, calming down around the same time, I believe she could have accidentally tapped into the hulk's mind." Cho said.

"What can we do?"

"There are only two options and neither are pleasant. Mutant rehabilitation or a brain surgery, that would likely fail." Cho said and Steve sighed. He put his head in his hands, trying to collect herself. "These centers aren't as bad as they used to be, you can even stay with her while she receives treatment." Cho assured him with a encouraging smile. Steve went back to see Andy just as she was waking up. She made space for him on the bed and patted it.

"Baby, there isn't enough room and I'm heavy." He told her and his groggy girlfriend pouted. He sighed and gave in. He decided to let her rest and explain everything in the morning.

*I hope you are enjoying this story so far, comments and kind feedback is always welcomed.*