Hey Readers!

Thanks for the reviews and encouragement.

~HaPpY NeW YeArS~to my readers.

warning: a fictional character is taken to task by a fictional authority figure. It's not a bad thing, I promise. :) If that kind of parenting bothers you, kindly remember it's fiction.

May God bless you all with a wonderful 2019

Peace,

~Sawyer~

New York

Tony offered a glass of water to May and sat down with his own. He stared at the ice floating in the glass and had to stop himself from losing his shit. He'd done far too much of that lately. He could feel the tension hovering in the air around him. May Parker was always civil towards him but there was always an edge of ice between them. It was thinly veiled and Peter likely wouldn't have noticed but Tony did. May didn't like him, and she didn't trust him either. Tony slid his finger around the rim of his glass and cleared his throat quietly. He had a lot of things he wanted to say to Peter's aunt, starting with why the hell she thought it was okay to slap Peter across the face. Losing her temper because of the circumstances be damned; smacking the kid in the face was not okay on any level.

"Where do you think he went, Mr. Stark? I've been trying his cell phone for hours since we left the school. Why won't he answer me? I've warned him time and time again to keep it with him and to never ignore my calls," she rambled, clutching the icy glass tightly in her hands.

Tony watched the woman gripping the glass like it was some kind of lifeline. He probably should have made her a cup of camomile tea to take the edge off her nerves. Pepper would have thought of that. Tony set his drink on the coffee table and grabbed for his own cell. Perhaps Pepper was the perfect person to have with him right now. Not caring if he appeared rude, he shot off a few texts to Pepper, hoping upon hope that she would see them and come to his rescue. His emotions were hovering at the breaking point about now and he wasn't sure he could be held responsible for what he might say to the woman.

"Peter doesn't listen to me. I come in after my shift and the apartment is in shambles and what is he doing? Playing video games with Ned or working on some kind of science experiment for school that has damaged something. I'm doing the best I can, , but I swear that kid…"

Tony pinched his nose, trying so hard to be careful how he spoke the next words. "You smacked him in the face. What the hell kind of parenting is that?" Tony forced himself to focus on his breathing. In and out. In and out.

May was taken aback. She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again.

"I get how you might want to kick his ass," he continued, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, he told himself. "Trust me I understand that urge but slapping him in the face?" Tony's voice grew dangerously quiet. He didn't realize how angry it had made him to see May do that to Peter. It was the ultimate form of disrespect.

"It just happened," May bit out. She glared at him which normally would have made Tony feel very uncomfortable but now it made him all the angrier. She had some nerve to be cold towards him. May rose to her feet. "Who are you to challenge my parenting, Stark? Peter is my nephew and my responsibility. You are nothing to him. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, his internship is finished with Stark Industries. He doesn't need your support for his scholarships. He's a smart kid; he'll find another mentor."

Tony stood to his feet, his mind whirling in a hundred different directions. He hadn't expected May to react that way. He didn't want to lose his connection with Pete. The kid needed him and truth be told, he needed the kid too. In fact, as much as May didn't realize it, she needed him too. Peter was off the rails and she obviously didn't have the mental stability right now to handle it.

"I'm not challenging your parenting, Mrs. Parker." Tony was aware of how he flipped back and forth between given name and her formal name. The woman had never given him permission to use either and he was bouncing between trying to respect her and wanting to throttle her. "I'm sorry if it came across that way. I concerned because I don't think it's normal for you to lash out at him like that."

May narrowed her eyes at him but remained quiet. She kept clutching the glass and staring down at it.

"Why didn't you tell the police that Peter blew up the lab?"

Tony ran a hand through his dark hair and sat back down. "I was going to but something about Peter's outburst really concerns me. I think he has enough on his plate right now and I thought it best not to add to it. The trouble is someone is going to take the blame for it and that doesn't sit right with me. Peter should be the one to own up to his mistakes."

May closed her eyes with an agonizing look on her face. "My husband would have said the same thing." The woman hands started to shake causing the ice in her glass to rattle.

Tony's cell phone vibrated in his hand and he looked down to see that Pepper had replied to his text. He deliberated a moment before answering her. If Pepper could gauge things with May, Tony would have some time to find Peter. Jocasta was tracking him and hadn't been dissuaded yet. Tony felt bad about dumping this on Peppers lap but she was a 100 times better at diplomacy than he was. As Tony attempted to type something in response, Pepper appeared in the room. Tony closed his eyes in relief. Bringing May back to the tower had been the right thing to do. Pepper could handle May and Tony would find Peter.

WAKANDA

T'Challa handed Steve back the gone rogue cell phone. "I can't be sure it wasn't traced, but our defence systems here are far above and beyond the United States. I'm not concerned about our firewalls and security being broken. Worst case scenario, they'll send people to check out this area and they'll come up empty-handed. Wakanda is invisible."

Wanda sat chewing on her fingernails. "Why?" She looked up sheepishly avoiding eye contact with Clint who looked beyond irritated. "I mean what makes you so sure you won't be discovered?

T'Challa smiled at her kindly. "Our technology far surpasses the United States and pretty much the entire world. We're hidden in plain sight, seen as an impoverished nation and left alone to fend for ourselves. It's difficult to understand, I know. Because we aren't seen as a danger or a threat to anyone, the world leaves us alone."

Steve fingered the phone while Clint remained uncharacteristically quiet. They were all sitting in T'Challa's home, enjoying some kindly offered refreshments. Steve had felt it was important that T'Challa be informed about the unknown phone in case they were in danger of being discovered. The United Nations had a great deal of power and would be able to make trouble for any country harbouring fugitives, especially when it came to the Avengers.

"I am not worried," the man reiterated, "I merely take precautions with anyone we allow to visit Wakanda. We don't allow flash photography or any type of social media that will give away our secrets. We just want to live our lives separate without fear of interference from others. Our people have lived this way for thousands of years."

Clint stood up and wrung his hands together. "I think we're all skipping around the real issue here, right Wanda?"

Wanda's eyes were wide and she licked her dry lips, looking sheepishly at Clint.

"Wanda purposely withheld that phone from you, knowing full well she could be jeopardizing your way of life here."

T'Challa waved a dismissive hand. "Clint, I am not angry with Wanda. I'm sure she had her reasons…"

"No, don't make excuses for her. She had no idea what the repercussions could be. She just did what she wanted without caring about anyone else." Clint tossed a dangerous look in Wanda's direction.

"It wasn't like that!" said Wanda, standing up and crossing her arms.

Clint crossed the room and stood directly in front of Wanda. "Then, how about explaining things so we can understand. If you'd handed the phone over earlier, you would have still gotten it back, just like we did. What good reason could there be for you hiding it from us?"

Wanda shoved him away from her. "Stop it! Stop trying to bully me. It won't work!"

Clint shot her a warning look as he scrubbed a hand across his face.

Steve rose to his feet and stepped between them, putting a hand up in both their directions in a gesture of peace. It felt like he spent more time playing peacemaker between the two of them lately and it was starting to wear him down.

"Clint, calm down. Wanda, shoving Clint around isn't going to help matters. Now, please sit, both of you."

Wanda nervously sat back down while Clint paced. Steve recognized it as his way to calm down and expel his energy. Clint was uncharacteristically angry and Steve wasn't sure why.

T'Challa seemed to be sizing the situation up. He was silent for a few moments before rising to his feet. He smiled at Wanda sympathetically.

"I am not worried that you jeopardized our safety or yours, Wanda. I take security measures very seriously here. We've been able to live in peace in Wakanda, and I plan to keep it that way. If I thought there was a threat, I wouldn't be so tolerant."

Wanda looked up at T'Challa inquisitively. "If you're technology is as advanced as you say it is why don't you share what you know with the world? Shuri told me that you have a cure for cancer. Don't you think it's selfish to keep that knowledge to yourself? People are dying of cancer every day. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Wanda," admonished Steve, appalled at her outspokenness. He saw the girl drop her chin once again, and he knew she realized her question was not appropriate in this situation. It may have been a good question but not suitable for discussion under the circumstances. Steve couldn't figure out why Wanda would have taken his old phone, to begin with. He really wanted to know her thought process. Wanda had been given her own phone at the compound and never once had she been denied the right to contact anyone she wanted to. Why did the girl need to have a secret phone that no one knew about,

T'Challa held his hand up to stop Steve from scolding further. "No, it's quite alright for her to ask questions. Our youth ask the same ones. It's important that we have an answer. If we can't answer their queries with truth, what does that make us as authority figures and as a civilization?"

Clint shook his head. "King T'Challa, I appreciate your desire to be candid and open with us, but this isn't the time for Wanda to be asking you these kinds of questions. She simply owes you an apology." Clint looked closely at Wanda but the girl kept her head down this time. The only move she made was to fidget and to avoid looking at him which only seemed to make the older man more upset with her.

"Thank you for your diplomacy. Steve and I promise to make sure that Wanda isn't a bother or a hindrance to your security anymore while we are guests in Wakanda." Clint crossed his arms once again. "We should leave now; we've already taken up enough of your time.

"I'm relieved to know that we haven't caused you any concern, T'Challa. I wanted to inform you right away." Steve held out his hand in friendship, also rising to his feet and heading towards the exit. Clint nodded towards the doorway but Wanda didn't move.

"Wanda?"

Wanda sighed and slowly rose to her feet. "Is Shuri here?"

T'Challa shook his head. "I'm sorry, she isn't here today. She's taken a trip to the outer village with our mother."

Wanda looked disappointed.

"Let's go, Wanda," said Steve as he paused at the door to wait for Clint and Wanda to follow suit.

Wanda continued to hedge. Clint stood by the exit with his arms crossed looking ready to throttle the teen. Steve felt like he was at an impasse with them both. It was simpler to face an entire platoon of green broke recruits than to try and play peacemaker between Wanda and Clint. Steve didn't know why Wanda was so combative and secretive and he didn't know why the teen girl pushed Clint's buttons.

T'Challa walked over to Clint and clapped a congenial hand on his shoulder. "No harm has been done, my friends. Feel free to use this room for as long as you need. My mother and Shuri are away, and I am going to attend to some business." Steve shook T'Challa's hand and the man left the room closing the door behind him.

Before Steve could process his next thought, Clint was across the room and pulling Wanda to her feet. Steve's heart lurched in his chest as he watched the archer sit down and swing the girl across his knee with very little effort. Wanda gasped, just as shocked as Steve was about circumstances.

"Clint!" he exclaimed, crossing the room to stop him.

Wanda screeched and began kicking and struggling to escape his iron grip. "Lemme go!"

Clint pinned her down between his legs so she couldn't kick out and pulled her tiny waist in close to his. Wanda grabbed onto his leg and sunk her teeth into his calf causing Clint to cry out. "Ow, you little…" he raised his hand but Steve caught it in mid-air.

"Not like this, Clint." Steve's voice was calm. He was upset with the girl too but not enough to make it a punishable offence. Wanda had a reason for what she did and Steve wanted to know why. Coming down on her like a load of bricks wasn't going to help them get her to open up to them.

"Not like what?" Clint shouted at Steve and then firmly moved Wanda's face away from his leg, "If you bite me again, Wanda, I swear this will be much worse then it's already going to be." The threat in his voice was not hidden. Wanda whimpered and covered her face with her hands, sobbing loudly.

Steve held tightly to Clint's right hand. "We need to talk."

"Talk is cheap, Steve."

"Clint, you will regret this decision later; I know it and so do you. You're overreacting, man, and not thinking clearly. C'mon, let her up. Let's talk."

Wanda continued to sob. "Please, don't do this. I'm sorry, Clint, please," she begged.

Clint closed his eyes and Steve could see him visibly calming down so he released his hand. Clint's hand dropped to Wanda's lower back and rested there.

"Why didn't you apologize to King T'Challa?" Clint asked, his voice stern but sounding calmer.

Wanda shook her head. "I-I dunno."

Clint's hand twitched slightly but then rested again.

Steve took a step back and shook his head. He knew he wouldn't be able to stop Clint from following through with this without making the situation more volatile. Wanda didn't need to see them at odds over her. It was already difficult enough. A few well-placed swats wouldn't kill her and maybe it would appease Clint and capture Wanda's attention. Steve just wanted to slow everything down to give everyone time to simmer down.

"Let her up, Clint. She can't think straight suspended over your knee like that." He still held out hope that Clint would release Wanda so the three of them could talk things out.

"Oh, she can think very clearly in this position, can't you, Wanda? I'm sick to death of your attitude and belligerence. It stops now." Steve held his breath as Clint raised his hand high in the air. Steve caught Clint's eye and shook his head, his eyes pleading with his friend to reconsider. Clint mouthed the words, 'trust me' in Steve's direction. Steve frowned in confusion.

Wanda gasped and tensed up her entire body. "No, please!" she whimpered once she knew Clint's hand had left her back.

Clint brought his hand down with a sharp resounding smack. The sound echoed throughout the room and Steve gasped at the same time as Wanda yelped. Clint raised his hand again, and Steve felt his heart leap into his chest. He crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks, feeling helpless at the moment.

"Keeping that phone a secret from everyone could have ended very badly. You jeopardized your own safety as well as ours and Wakanda. You had no idea what could have happened." His broad hand fell a little harder on Wanda's small backside and she stiffened in response. Clint quickly landed three more in quick succession. Wanda shrieked and sobbed, unable to move a muscle under his tight hold.

"Clint," said Steve stepping closer. "That's enough." His voice was low but it resonated with authority above the girl's sobbing.

Clint looked up at him and shook his head. Something in Clint's expression made Steve take a step back. Clint's countenance was composed, no longer showing any anger. The man was silently pleading with Steve to trust him. Steve could tell the archer was not finished imparting his lesson yet. Steve's heart went out to the girl dangling over Clint's broad knee. Her hair covered her face and her body was shaking in sobs. Clint raised his hand again and Steve clutched his fists together, trying to remain calm. He knew in his head that the other man wasn't hurting Wanda all that much. The whole punishment was more emotional than physical. Wanda wore thick jeans, and Clint wasn't smacking her very hard which did strike Steve as odd and filled him with relief. Wanda's reaction to each swat was emotionally wrought. Clint quite obviously was irritated, but he maintained perfect control. Steve felt like he was the one suffering the most having to watch the whole thing play out.

"Why did you steal Steve's phone?" Clint's voice commanded respect and answers. Steve had used the same tone himself when training recruits or giving commands in combat.

"I'm sorry," she cried.

"I didn't ask for an apology, Wanda," said Clint, applying another sharp swat to her backside. "Answer the question, please."

"I-I had to" she whimpered, wrapping an arm around his leg for support.

Steve could hardly bear to watch anymore. Her voice sounded so small and young, her crying cut his nerves like diamonds on a glass.

"Why did you have to?" asked Clint, delivering another stinging swat. Steve cringed wishing Clint would stop. Even if it didn't hurt a lot, it still hurt enough.

"Oww…stop Clint, please stop."

"Answer my question then."

"C'mon, Clint, she's had enough." Steve couldn't help himself. Clint shot him another quick pleading look and Steve fell silent again.

Wanda tried to push herself up off Clint's knee but he repositioned her further forward and applied a few more swats that made her yelp louder. Steve clenched his jaw so tightly his teeth ached.

"Because I-I was afraid…" she managed to choke out.

Clint rested his hand on her back and rubbed circles on it. Steve hoped upon hope the man was done smacking Wanda. His jaw throbbed from the tension.

"Afraid of what?" prompted Clint, tapping her back hard enough to make the girl jump in anticipation.

"I-l thought…it was only a matter of time…you'd get sick of me… you'd all ditch me and I'd be alone. I wanted…" she stopped and continued to sob. "I'm s-sorry."

Steve felt his throat tighten as he swallowed the lump forming in his throat. The desperation in Wanda's voice made his heartache. No one truly knew how much the girl and her brother had been through in their short lives. They knew so little about the twins and Wanda never let anyone in. Steve had worked so hard to gain her trust at the Compound as he trained her. Natasha, Tony, all the other Avengers had tried their darnedest to gain her trust as well. They had all been kind to her, but maybe that hadn't been enough.

Clint picked Wanda up off his knee and pulled her close to his chest, wrapping his arms around her and embracing her tightly. Steve saw the compassion on his friend's face and heaved a sigh of relief. Wanda seemed to melt into Clint's embrace as she sobbed. Steve came forward and knelt down by Clint and put a hand on Wanda's back lovingly.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart. Not now and not ever. You're stuck with me, kiddo. You're safe, Wanda. I promise you that you won't be alone ever again." Steve said softly.

Wanda continued to sob, not being able to gain control of her emotions. Clint put a warm hand on the back of her head and raked his fingers through her long, auburn hair gently. Steve and Clint exchanged a look. Steve nodded, fully understanding Clint's actions now. Wanda had been hovering on an emotional edge for days and Clint had merely pushed her over it. Clint held her for a few more minutes and then he pushed her back so he could look into her red-rimmed, tear-filled eyes.

"You took the phone because you thought you'd need it later, am I right?"

Wanda nodded, hiccupping and trying to catch her breath.

"You thought we'd abandon you here in Wakanda and that's why you didn't reveal you had the phone?" The teenager nodded again and wiped at her tears, looking pathetic.

Steve rose to his feet, scanning the room for some Kleenex. Seeing a box on T'Challa's desk, he snatched it up and handed to the girl. Wanda took a tissue and the box tumbled to the floor, forgotten at their feet.

"You're wrong, Wanda," Steve allowed the scolding tone to linger in his voice for a moment and then he softened, "I signed on to be your foster dad, and I'm committed to following that through. I'm not going anywhere, sweetie." He massaged her shoulders gently hoping she wouldn't pull away from him. She stood to her feet and threw herself into his arms, still crying. Steve wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. He had longed for this moment when she would willingly accept affection from him. She had spent so much time pushing him away that he'd almost given up hope that he'd ever be able to comfort her. Tears burned in his eyes. Everyone had been through so much. Wanda was so young and had had her whole life turned upside down. He wished he could explain to her that he needed her as much as she needed him.

"I love you, Wanda." He whispered into her ear. Wanda's answer was a soft sob into his chest. He tightened his embrace.

Clint stood to his feet, massaging his hand a little and looking a little awkward. He stepped forward and put a heavy hand on the back of Wanda's head.

"Oh, Bella, you have to let people in. You have never been alone. Pietro lived his life to protect you. I saw his love for you…"

Wanda turned to face Clint, sniffling as a small smirk formed on her lips. "You said nobody would know but we knew."

Clint blinked at her words and laughed out loud. "You heard that?"

"Heard what?" Steve asked confused as Wanda turned to face them both.

Wanda nodded, wiping her face with both hands. "He liked you, Clint. It was a game to him."

Clint swallowed. "Wanda…I…"

Wanda launched herself into Clint's arms. "His death wasn't your fault. Pietro made that choice because he knew you were a good man. He wouldn't have done that if it wasn't true. I'm so sorry, Clint. Please forgive me." Wanda sobbed again and Clint rested his chin on top of her head, blinking away his own tears.

"Shhh, Bella. Don't cry," he murmured softly.

Steve watched silently as all the animosity and tension disappeared from the room. He knew he didn't understand everything that was happening but he knew in time he would. He was glad to see the healing and feel peace enter the room.