Alrighty, ladies and germs...I'm sorry for the late update. This last month has been an absolute whirlwind and it has inevitably been one of the biggest obstacles of my life, but God and coffee will see me through this storm.

Anyhow, here is the latest chapter. It's kind of short and maybe a tad bit rushed, but I was excited to write this! I hope you all like it- I went back and revised a ton of it because I wrote half of it while under painkillers, because I was in the hospital with kidney stones (those things are awful. I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy.)

Everyone enjoy and leave a review!

~Tessa~

The next few days are spent rather peacefully.

There are no mentions of further tests. Bruce doesn't pester her for anymore blood samples. She's not watched as though she might be a bomb waiting to explode.

Tessa spends quite a bit of time around the Avengers. She clings more to Bruce and Steve than she does anyone else. Small talk is made with Clint and he teases her some. If she's around Natasha any, the spy watches her warily. Then, if she somehow winds up with Tony, the man will awkwardly tell her about his latest projects and describe the newest development on his suits.

She finds herself with Steve today. The wiry teenager follows behind the Super Soldier, listening as he shows her around the Avengers Tower. So far, she knows where to find all the Avengers and knows what things are on each floor. For now, he takes her on the floors where they have all of their training equipment. On one of the floors they had a swimming pool that Tessa was very excited about- though she won't admit it. There were several more features that she truly enjoyed, such as the floor that was suited for the Avengers to fight and train for combat. This floor now holds things like ellipticals and treadmills and stationary bikes. Also, there is some equipment suited for Steve due to his super-soldier strength.

"Mr. Rogers?"

Steve turns to look at Tessa. He raised an eyebrow and offers her a smile. "You don't have to call me that, remember? Makes me feel old."

"Mr. Stark did point out that you are technically almost a hundred…"

"Don't pay any attention to Tony. He'll get you in trouble," Steve says, moving to one of the punching bags.

Tessa grins widely. She laughs a little before giving an apology. "I'm teasing." Then, she stops laughing and gives Steve a lopsided smile. "Thank you, Steve- for finding me. I...don't know where I'd be today if it weren't for you."

We'd be dead. Wraith's voice rumbles lowly and Tessa shakes her head.

Tessa rolls her eyes. "Gee, Wraith. Thanks."

Sorry. Truth sucks, though.

Steve gives her a careful smile. "Don't worry, Tessa. You...I saw you and you were shaking and I couldn't leave you out there."

Tessa shakes her head. "I just don't know where I'd be right now if it weren't for you."

Steve raises an eyebrow. "Don't you have anyone looking for you, Tessa? Any aunts or uncles? Someone who can take care of you?"

"I don't have anyone. Mom's gone and she just told me my dad left us. All of my other family is dead or gone," Tessa rasps, looking down at the floor. She squeezes her eyes closed at the sound of gunshots and the stench of blood. Her stomach rolls and she shudders, looking back to Steve. "I don't have anyone that wants me.

Steve steps close to Tessa, placing a hand on her hair. He strokes her dark hair, giving her a sad smile. "We're gonna make sure you're taken care of, okay?"

"'Kay," Tessa agrees quietly, smiling up at the Captain sullenly.

Steve touches her cheek before nodding towards the door. "C'mon, kid. I'm going to show you some stuff on the upper levels. You've seen the MedBay, but I think you'd like the labs. You interested in science?"

"If the science you are speaking of involves blowing stuff up, I'm all in," Tessa says, grinning brightly. She loved school and science- it was her only escape from her mother and her entire situation. She is two grade levels ahead of what she should have been- she's a junior at her high school instead of having to stay behind in the Freshman class with the others. Chemistry is one of her favorites and more often than not, as long as her teacher approved, she done experiments that were far more advanced than what the high school kids were doing.

And those experiments usually involved explosions.

Steve gives her a look. "You sound like Clint. He's learned enough about Chemistry that he'll send us videos of his kids making pumpkins explode."

Tessa chuckles softly as Steve flocks her to the elevator. With a press of a button, they're lifted up to the upper floors of the Towers. Once the elevator opens, Tessa steps out to see the lab occupied by Bruce and Tony.

"Good afternoon, Little Red," Tony pipes, looking to Tessa. He's standing behind a table, poking at a computer with one hand and he holds a coffee mug in the other. "Have you had your daily dose of patriotism with our dear Captain?"

Tessa struggles to keep from laughing and she watches as Steve's expression turns dark and he narrows his eyes, but heads for the elevator.

"Fine, Commander Buzzkill," Tony rolls his eyes. "Tessa, come over and join the coolest Avenger. Let's put side talking about good deeds and war stories and talk about Artificial Intelligence."

Bruce makes a sound. "Don't teach the kid how to make a murder bot."

"Pshhh. We're giving FRIDAY an update, not making Ultron Jr. Therefore, get your skinny butt over here, kid, and help me."

Tessa complies happily, standing next to Tony as she watches him click away at the screen. He explains to her the computer programs and the several interfaces he plans for FRIDAY. Bruce joins them and Tessa can only listen to the doctor deadpan that Tony had better not create another mechanical menace, and she chuckles at them the whole time.

What is so appealing about a computer? We are superior beings, Wraith says proudly, and Tessa rolls her eyes secretly.

"Let me correct you. You are a superior being, I am merely the host. This host happens to enjoy computers," Tessa shoots back, watching as Tony clicks on a file with details regarding new software technology for FRIDAY.

Wraith makes a sound. You are a superior being. You host me, which many people cannot do.

"Stop patronizing me," Tessa thinks, making Wraith laugh.

They spend the afternoon and well into the evening working with FRIDAY, and Tessa excitedly listens and mentally takes notes on how to work with the computer programs. All the while, Wraith groaned and moaned and complained he was bored. Then, he pulled the "I'm Hungry," card and threatened to eat her liver, which she called his bluff and he pouted the entire time until Natasha called them for dinner.

I like the Russian. She doesn't like boring stuff.

"I can't help that you're mindless and daft," Tessa thinks as she helps Pepper set the table.

One more word and your brain is toast.

"Please. What other host would put up with your annoying ass?"

Wraith makes a sound. Ass.

"Bitch." Tessa grins darkly as she sets out the plates and scuttles back to the kitchen for the silverware.

You take that back! Tessa, I said apologize!

Tessa smiles and happily ignores her ever-ranting symbiote. As she sets the table, Tessa watches as Pepper carries in some of their food with Bruce helping her, carrying bowls heaped high with vegetables. In the kitchen, Tessa can hear Steve, Tony, and Natasha milling about in the kitchen, grabbing things for dinner.

The teenager gives a timid smile. "You guys need me to grab anything?"

"We've got it, kiddo," Bruce assures with a small smile. "Once you finish here, do you care to go grab Clint? I think he's in the living room."

Tessa only nods in compliance. Once she sets out the last of the cutlery, she speeds off to find Clint who is hidden away in the living room while playing a game of Mario Kart with narrowed eyes, letting loose a string of silent curses when Princess Peach passes him.

"Clint, they have dinner ready," Tessa says. "Sooo...if you've had enough of Mario Kart, come to the dining room."

Huffing, Clint pauses the game and throws the controller aside. "I was tired of getting my ass kicked by Princess Peach, anyways. C'mon, squirt- let's go get some food. I have a bet with Tony that you'll out-eat Steve tonight."

Tessa rolls her eyes, but smiles as she walks along beside of Clint. The marksman ruffles her hair as they walk to the kitchen together, and Tessa finds herself seated between Steve and Clint at the table, her eyes scanning at the mountain of steaks piled at the center of the table along with salad, various vegetables, mashed potatoes, and rolls.

Did they cook the steaks bloody? Wraith asks excitedly, and Tessa rolls her eyes at his excitement.

"No, you nimrod," Tessa thinks back as the food is passed around. "Not many people like their steak to moo at them."

Wraith growls lowly. I don't even know what you mean. But, so help me God, if you keep calling me names, I'll eat your heart.

"Is that a threat?"

I'll make it a promise if you don't apologize for calling me names.

"I'm shaking," Tessa shoots back, happily accepting the plate of steaks from Steve and she serves herself before passing it on.

Ass

"Bitch."

…

The rest of her night is spent in the living room.

Clint challenged her to a game of Mario Kart, which Tessa happily accepted. She chose Yoshi while Clint chose Bowser, and Tessa raced her way to victory against the marksman while being cheered on by Tony. Natasha just watches with an amused face and Steve looked confused the entire time, so she put Steve up against Tony, her hands over his as she taught him how to work the controls.

Then, when Steve grew frustrated with Tony's boasting, they watched movies. It was between Star Wars and Split, and Split won the vote four-to-two. The movie was anything but exciting to Tessa, and she dozed lazily on the couch for the entirety of the movie until she felt herself become feather light, curled in someone's arms as they walked.

Her eyes open because of the weightlessness. "I can walk, you know." She knows it's Steve because of the scent of his cologne and the way he carries her as though she's nothing.

"We didn't want to wake you," Steve says. "Why don't you go back to sleep, Tess?"

Tessa only hums, dozing against the super soldier as he steps into her room. He holds her easily in one arm while the other pulls back the bed sheets, and he lays her down after, pulling the covers over her.

Tessa gives the man a sleepy smile. "Thanks, Steve."

"Don't worry about it, kid," Steve says softly. "Goodnight, Tessa."

"'Night," Tessa replies back, her voice slurring as she drifts back into sleep.

…

~Bruce~

"You know, this is borderline stalking."

Bruce feels Tony's glare burning into his back, but the scientist thinks nothing of it as he watches the feed FRIDAY provides him with. He watches a tossing and turning Tessa who is sleeping rather fitfully. FRIDAY says that her heart rate and blood pressure is on the rise, and she's in the middle of a REM cycle, signaling she's suffering with a nightmare.

The doctor glares back at Tony. "There's something wrong with this kid. If the right stressors are introduced and once she's been under long enough, we might just see a reaction."

"Tess is a teenager with nightmares," Tony says dismissively. "According to her, she's been through a lot of shit. She's sick and was with the wrong people when Cap found her… I think she's okay."

Bruce shakes his head. "No, you don't understand. We're dealing with something darker than illnesses and nightmares. There's something in her."

"I still think it's a tapeworm. Did you see the way that kid put away those steaks at dinner?" Tony inches closer, looking at Bruce's computer that has several files and notes pulled up. Then, the scientist frowns. "Dude. What are you doing reading Carlton Drake's medical journals. He was a creep."

"Albeit, but he was a genius."

"He got blown up by his own rocket," Tony snorts, his dark eyes searching over the several medical journals and notes. "Really? You think she has...a symbiote? Those things were a myth at best."

Bruce shrugs. "It explains the organ failure, the anemia, the vitamin deficiencies… Explains why she isn't dead, because something is obviously supporting her organs. She doesn't have sepsis, she doesn't have an infection, she isn't going into shock. Tessa is something else entirely, and I'm going to find out what."

"Well, while you wait to find out what is wrong with our house guest, I will go to bed because I don't find joy in peeping on teenagers," Tony says, grabbing his empty coffee mug from the computer desk and he starts for the door.

Bruce huffs, but his attention is taken off Tony when a screech rings out through the lab. Both men stare at the screen, watching as Tessa curls to her side and she screams and fights something that isn't there.

Tony gives Bruce a look. "Listen, I get it you're worried about her, but we can't leave her to suffer like that." He looks at the screen, then a few moments later his expression darkens and he stumbles back to the computer. "FRIDAY, pause the footage."

"Yes, Boss," FRIDAY chirps happily. Bruce watched as the footage halts, showing Tessa curled in on her side. He squints his eyes and asks FRIDAY to pan in closer to Tessa. His eyes take in the galaxy of dark tendrils spreading across her entire arm and her shoulder. It's as if a dark hand is rising up from her skin to comfort her.

Bruce swallows hard. "FRIDAY, back it up about thirty seconds. Play it from there."

Tony and Bruce watch with bated breath as Tessa's screeching fills the lab once more. They watch as dark veins rise from beneath her skin, snaking across her arms and over her face like a veil. The veins sink back into her skin only to reappear again, covering her like a blanket this time.

Tony makes a sound, his face paling. "What the hell is that?"

"Tessa's a host," Bruce chokes out breathlessly. "She has a symbiote, Tony. Those things are all supposed to be dead. They all died in Carlton Drake's experiments."

"So...what do we do?" Tony asks. "That...thing is in my guest room, Bruce."

Bruce frowns deeply. "If they wanted to hurt us, they would have. Tessa is much too timid and the symbiote is just as scared of us as we are of it. Besides, if we were a danger, it would have came after us by now."

"Should we wake her up?" Tony asks hoarsely.

Bruce shakes his head. He continues to watch Tessa, and she has finally settled herself down. She rests on her stomach, still breathing a little heavy and he can hear her crying a little. All he can focus on is her and the dark veins pulsing across her skin, and he can see that it's comforting her. "Let her sleep. I'll confront her about this in the morning. There's a reason why she didn't tell us, Tony."

"Well… Okay, but I think I'm staying down here tonight," Tony says in a trembling voice.

Bruce only nods, watching as a clearly shaken Tony scuttles towards the back of their lab to work more on FRIDAY. Then, Bruce diverts his eyes back to the screen so he can watch Tessa, and he sighs heavily while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"God, kid, what have you gotten yourself into?" Bruce asks tiredly, shaking his head as he watches the dark tendrils move across Tessa's body