Chapter Twenty-five: Closure

Time moved forward and so did Emma. It didn't take long for her to heal physically but mentally was a different matter all together. That part was taking longer. She was getting better and with the help of her sudo parents and the rest of the Avengers. Steve had been shocked when she had told him about Thor, Natasha hadn't been but Emma wondered if anything surprised her. Emma had gotten complete closure with Bruce and now they were on the fast track to being friends again. Things were definitely looking up for her since the dark elves now she only had a few nightmares and she was happy.

She was back in DC now and she was still on desk duty on Fury's orders. Meanwhile her grandfather and Natasha were busy with missions of their own. They usually worked them together but on very rare occasions where they went off on their own. It was completely obvious to everyone else that they were hiding feelings for each other and Emma wasn't sure why they were bothering. Both Tony and Emma had bets on when they would finally get over themselves. She just wanted both of them to be happy.

"Well, you know, stubborn does seem to run in your family," Darcy's voice floated from her laptop.

Darcy and Emma had gotten along well after the London incident. Darcy had been the first one to check up on her after Emma had returned to New York. She couldn't really blame Jane. She had just reconnected with Thor after all and Jane had checked up on her later. She had been talking with Darcy ever since. The girl was funny and smarter than Jane gave her credit for.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Emma mockingly denied.

"Girly, don't be playing me like that," Darcy grinned. "Stubborn is as stubborn does."

"I just think Natasha would be good for him," Emma said.

"I don't think it's him or Natasha that's really the problem," Darcy said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I think it's Peggy. He needs to talk with her and get the push from her to move on. I don't think he's really moved on or accepted what was going on. He needs closure from Peggy before he accepts his feelings for Natasha otherwise it would feel as though he was cheating on your Gran," Darcy explained. "I mean, she was his first everything, right? His first love, his first kiss, his first 'dance partner' . . . and it was only a couple of years ago that he was right there with her in 1945. I am not sure how anyone gets over that or the fact that he didn't get to raise their child together. That would mess me up too."

"Well, hopefully the drug will begin working for my grandmother and Steve will get the closure he needs," Emma said. "You know you are more than just a pretty face."

"You know it, babe," Darcy said winking at her. "It was a few days since she started taking it?"

"Yeah, she's already shown signs of improvement but they need to make sure there are no side effects," Emma said. "Steve and I are going to visit her when he gets back."

"Well, good luck and Godspeed, my friend," Darcy replied.

"Thank you, Darcy," Emma said. "Well, we've talked about me for too long. How are you and Ian?"

"Ian is toast," she replied with a scowl.

"I thought you guys were getting along swimmingly," Emma said. "What happened?"

"Well, his ex came back into town and he decided to get back together with her. . .without telling me," she said, scoffing and rolling her eyes.

"Do you want me to beat him up for you? I could totally beat him up for you," she said and Darcy looked thoughtfully for a moment as though she was going to say yes.

A few days later Steve and Natasha returned home from their mission. The first thing that Steve did was freshen up and contact his granddaughter. He wanted to see Peggy as soon as possible.

"Are you sure that you don't want to rest first, Pops?" Emma asked.

"I slept on the quinjet, I'm good to go, sweetheart," Steve said. "I need to see how well she's doing."

Emma knew that it was pointless arguing with him and so, that very evening they went to visit with Peggy. Her Gran was very pleased to see her and reminded her of the conversation they had just the other day. She talked about Natasha and how close they were. Emma had told her that she looked at Natasha like a mother and told her how guilty she had felt about that, wondering what her own mother would think about replacing her.

Gran had called her an idiot and told her there was nothing to feel guilty about, that it was perfectly normal to feel that way. The one that her mother had wanted for her in this world was for her to feel loved and protected.

"Still feeling guilty?" Peggy asked her a smile.

"Nope, thanks to you I stopped being an idiot," Emma grinned.

"Steve's your grandfather, darling, I am afraid that being an idiot may always be a part of you," Peggy said with mirth in her eyes.

"Hey, I take offense to that," Steve said, mock glaring at her.

Emma smiled at the two of them. It was the first time in a long time that she could talk to her grandmother and not have to worry about when she would disappear. The three of them chatted about everything under the sun until Peggy noticed the look on Steve's face. She was always good at reading people like a book and Emma was glad to see that she still had it.

"Darling, could you wait out in the hall while I chat with your grandfather?" Peggy asked Emma.

"Of course, Gran," Emma said. "I'll just go chat with Tessa."

Emma hadn't really had time to catch up with Tessa due to her work with SHIELD and she couldn't help but feel guilty about that. Tessa had laughed her off when she tried to apologize and hugged her, saying that she understood. Emma smiled, that woman had the biggest heart of all. A person could rob her blind and she would still find a way to forgive them without getting angry.

An hour later, Steve came out of Peggy's room with tears in her bright blue eyes. Emma didn't bother asking, if Steve wanted to tell her then he would. Respecting his wishes, she went in to say goodbye to Gran and grabbed dinner with Steve. It had been a great day, the longest she talked with Gran in quite a few years. The drug was working.