*TRIGGER WARNING* This story briefly describes a sexual assault but does not go into graphic detail.

Prompt: Sam helps Penny when she is faced with Skip

Sam and Penny had met for the first time in an airport in Germany, although they hadn't exactly had a conversation at the time. It had been more like…Penny had tried to chat while also trying to web him and Bucky up, and Sam had been freaked out by her webs. And then he'd thrown her through a window which had hurt. Still…it hadn't been a great first meeting. Then again, Penny hadn't had great first meetings with most of the Avengers. That's what happened when your first meeting was an airport battle where your friend was trying to stop you from becoming war criminals.

They met a second time at the tower when neither had been expecting it. It had been lab day, which Mr. Stark had instituted after the whole Homecoming debacle, and Penny had walked into the tower, earbuds stuck in her ears, eyes glued to her phone, only to come to an abrupt halt when she'd run into a wall of a person. Hand flying up to her nose, she'd jumped back, eyes wide, only to find herself looking into the wide eyes of a somewhat familiar man.

"The hell?" He had asked…or, that's what she'd thought he had said. She'd still been listening to the Hamilton soundtrack at full blast in her earbuds which had been a belated birthday present from Mr. Stark a few weeks ago…not only did they connect wirelessly to her phone, which was great because she was always getting her wires tangled and accidentally yanking headphones out of her ears, but they were also completely noise-canceling, which came in handy when she was having sensory issues. He had continued to talk, but she'd only caught the end of the rant when she'd paused 'The Schuyler Sisters' (she always sang Angelica's part because she was her favorite) ad pulled one of the earbuds out of her ears. "…does Stark have teenage girls running around?"

Steve Rogers had appeared then, and Penny had taken a step back from the two of them, hackles raised. She'd never found out what had happened in Siberia…had never thought it her place to ask Mr. Stark or Colonel Rhodes, but she'd seen Mr. Stark when he'd returned. Had seen the black eye and the sling…had seen the look in his eye before he'd spotted her and had gone back to that cheery, slightly fake smile. No…not 'fake' exactly…guarded. He hadn't disliked her or anything, but he hadn't quite trusted her either. It hadn't been until after she'd saved his plane that he'd looked at her in any other way…in the way he had started to look at her more recently. Like she was someone he cared about. Like she was someone important to him, and he wasn't afraid to show it.

"Hi…can we help you?" Steve had asked cautiously, exchanging glances with Sam Wilson, and Penny had had the wild thought that maybe they were here to attack Mr. Stark…maybe they were going to hurt him. Again. But, of course, as her brain had reminded her only a second later, Mr. Stark's tower had a state of the art security system. They wouldn't have been able to walk in without him knowing. Still, she'd taken a step back, yanking out the other earbud and shoving them both in her pocket with her phone. She had wanted both hands free. Just in case.

Better safe than sorry.

"Friday?" She'd asked, eyes on both of them. Sam had lifted an eyebrow and she'd lifted both of hers, looking him up and down distrustfully.

"Boss is on his way up." The AI had informed her.

"Are you…related to Tony?" Steve had asked, obviously trying to be friendly. Any other time, Penny would have jumped at the chance to make small talk with her second favorite Avenger…but the last time she'd seen him, he'd dropped a loading bridge on her.

"No," Penny had told him simply, and then Mr. Stark had been there, hurrying into the kitchen and dropping a hand on her shoulder. He'd given her a look then, and she'd marveled a little at the fact that he gave her these looks now…and that she could read them in a heartbeat.

'Are you okay? I'm here. It's okay now. Don't worry.' He had started to care about her…and he hadn't been afraid to show it.

She'd given him her own look back. 'I'm okay. I'm glad you're here. What's going on?' The kind of look a child gives their grown-up. And in some ways, he was her grown-up. Or, one of them. It hadn't been easy for her to trust him like this…for her to avoid tensing up when he put a hand on her shoulder or pulled her in for a casual half hug. And he'd seemed to notice that once they'd actually started spending time together. But by this point, when the rogue Avengers had returned, they began to trust one another.

"Spangles. Birdman. This is my intern. Penny Parker."

"Intern?" Sam had repeated, crossing his arms. "You have interns?"

"I have intern. Singular. Just her."

"And you let your interns just walk around your kitchen?"

"When they're hungry." Mr. Stark had told him, voice going almost dangerously pleasant. And Penny had felt something sick and afraid in her stomach at the way Sam Wilson had looked at her mentor…at the way both of them had looked at her. Or maybe she'd just been imagining it. Maybe her own memories had been coloring her thoughts. Still, the next words had come almost before she'd decided to say them.

"We've met, actually." Penny had told them, holding out a hand to Sam, smirking just a little. As if on autopilot, he had taken her hand, shaking it once, but not squeezing. She made up for squeezing his hand just a little too hard. "You threw me out a window."

"What the hell are…" Sam had started to say…but then it had dawned on him, and she'd let him pull his hand away. "You…you're the spider freak?"

Penny had bristled a little, flinching without meaning to, and immediately, she'd seen the remorse on his face. He hadn't meant it. He wasn't a mean person. He'd just been surprised. She'd seen all of that on his face a split second before Mr. Stark had spoken up, voice hard.

"Spidergirl." He'd corrected, and Sam had given a quick nod, an apology in his eyes when they'd met hers.

"Right. Spidergirl. The one with the webs. Those come outta you?"

Penny had finally let herself smile for real, surprising even herself with a short laugh. "No. They're not organic. I make them in the lab."

"Her high school chemistry lab to be exact." Mr. Stark had said, a note of pride leaking into his voice, and from the looks on the faces of Sam and Steve, she hadn't been the only one to hear it.

"It's nice to officially meet you, Penny." Steve had put in, holding out his own hand, and she'd shaken it. "Sorry for startling you. We didn't know you'd be stopping by."

"Sorry, kiddo. We had a meeting…the Accords are being amended, and the previously 'rogue' Avengers have all been pardoned. It's been a busy day."

"Oh…I can go…"

"No…don't let us chase you off. The meetings are all done." Steve had put in, and Mr. Stark had squeezed her shoulder.

"Why don't you go on down to the lab? I'll be right down."

She'd learned a little later that Sam and Steve would be living in the tower part-time until they got places of their own, which was how she found herself running into them more and more often. As Penny Parker, she sometimes headed to the kitchen before the lab to grab a snack and would run into Sam who seemed to like working on his computer in there. At first, she stayed quiet around him, sometimes giving a quick smile and nod before hurrying back down to the lab. Eventually, she graduated to shouldering him out of the way when he stood in front of the fridge and snatching chips from his plate when she happened to catch him eating his own snack. As Spidergirl, she'd see him on her patrols every once in a while where he'd show up for an assist. The first time he'd appeared just in time to help her take down a group of freakishly strong drug dealers, she had reminded him that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

"Of course you can, kid. But you're an Avenger now, so you don't have to."

She hadn't told him that she wasn't really an Avenger. Instead, she'd muttered a reluctant 'thanks' before swinging off, trying not to smile at the sound of his chuckling and the muttered 'not related to Stark my ass.'

He was almost like a friend. Something like a big brother.

The team slowly began to work together, with more Avengers showing up and hanging around the tower, then participating in group training sessions. She usually paired off with Steve since he was almost as strong as she was, but there were times when she and Sam would spar, and he'd help her with her hand to hand fighting. Once he snarked that he wasn't a babysitter right before she leaped and, in a move taught to her by Natasha, hooked a knee around his neck and brought him down hard on the mat.

Mr. Stark laughed so hard that a tear ran down his cheeks, and Sam had given a reluctant grin when she'd held out a hand to pull him up.

Sam was also the one to try and teach her to shoot a gun. It was a group training day, and they'd started to pair up like normal when he had led her to a different training room, just the two of them. At first, she'd balked at the door, glancing back to find Mr. Stark watching her instead of sparring with Wanda…as if he'd known she would look for him. It wasn't that Mr. Stark knew the particulars of what had happened to her. He didn't. No one did, except for May. But he knew that she was skittish about people she didn't know touching her and that she got nervous when she was in an enclosed space with other people. With adult men.

She'd never come out and said it. But they'd been in the lab during their first lab session and he'd noticed how jumpy she had been…how her fingers hadn't stopped drumming on her legs and how every little noise had made her jump. Finally, he'd turned to her, arms at his side, face open.

"What's got you so worried, kiddo?" He'd asked gently.

"Can…can we just…open the door?"

He hadn't even hesitated to nod. "Of course." He'd told her, moving over to the lab door and pulling it wide open. No follow up questions.

She'd only lasted about a minute before blurting out, "I"m sorry…it's not…I know you wouldn't…'

"Hey," he'd interrupted, voice still gentle and so serious. "You don't owe me any kind of explanation. You want the door open, it stays open. You want to leave, you can. Any time, no questions asked. Okay?"

And she'd nodded, giving him a grateful, somewhat teary smile.

She'd thought about telling him…but she didn't know the words. Didn't know the basic shape of them. How did you even bring something like that up?

Penny had remembered those words when she'd started to follow Sam into the room that held the shooting range. Mr. Stark had given her a look, eyebrows raised just a little.

'Are you okay? You don't have to. You can leave whenever you want.'

She'd trusted Sam. Still, when she'd followed him into the room, she'd stopped him from shutting the door. "Keep it open." She'd instructed, voice almost shaking with the effort it had taken to say those words. He'd started to argue…she'd see it in his face. But then he'd stopped, pressed his lips together tightly, and nodded.

"Okay."

And then it had been time for training. He'd brought out a gun, started to pull it all apart, but she'd shaken her head. "I don't need to learn how to shoot a gun."

Sam had signed a little, something serious but just a little patronizing in his tone when he'd spoken. "Look, I know that you don't like guns and that you're all about apprehending criminals without hurting them, but there may come a time that you need to…"

Penny had snatched the gun from him then, the metal making her whole body cold. Still, she'd put the thing back together without a word, her hands turning into her uncle's in her mind as she snapped the clip into place, then strode up to the half wall that marked the proper distance, then put one foot slightly behind the other, one hand holding the gun up, the other supporting her wrist, thumb down and away so it wouldn't get hit by the recoil.

One bullet after the other, she had emptied the clip, flinching each time she heard the bang in her ears. She was supposed to wear earmuffs…she had known that. She had known that this could damage her hearing and would probably lead to a migraine. But she hadn't cared. All she'd cared about was proving that she didn't need lessons on shooting a gun…not when she'd had so many.

Every bang had reminded her of her uncle, a hand clutching his chest, blood spurting out from between his fingers, another bloody hand reaching for her.

Finally, Penny had run out of bullets and lowered the gun, staring at the target. The center ring of the paper had been nothing but frayed edges and empty space. Turning, she had placed the gun, barrel pointed down, onto the table beside Sam who hadn't moved…who had watched her with wide, stunned eyes. "My uncle was a cop." She had told him simply in a voice that she'd tried and failed to keep from shaking.

And then she'd left, passing the others on her way up to the guest room, ignoring Steve's call for her to wait.

"Tony, she can't just walk out on training…"

"She's not an Avenger." Mr. Stark had told him. "She's not a soldier. She not a warrior. She's a kid. If she wants to leave, she can leave. Any time. No questions asked. That's the deal."

Mr. Stark had come upstairs later to put a cold washrag over her head and sit with her, the two of them existing in silence in the dark room for a long time before she'd started crying. And then he'd held her. It had taken a long time for her to realize that she was with Mr. Stark in a dark enclosed room with the door shut…and it had hit her like a wave, the realization that it was okay. That she trusted Mr. Stark completely. That she loved him and he loved her and that he wouldn't hurt her.

Sam never again tried to teach her how to shoot a gun. Never even brought it up. But the next time he saw her as Spidergirl, he handed her an ice cream sundae and a spoon, and the two met up on the nearest rooftop to eat in silence, shoulders pressed together. It wasn't an apology, but it might as well have been.

Penny liked to think that she got along well with the Avengers. She liked to think that one day, she would join them as a full member and that this would be her job. It was a job she loved. A job that mattered. Something to look forward to. Penny loved looking forward…and she hated looking back.

The first text message came at 8:03am on a Tuesday morning. Penny was in class, doodling in her notebook as her teacher droned on about the American Civil War, when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out, throwing glances at the teacher as she did so to make sure she wasn't caught, but as soon as she saw the screen, she forgot all about the American Civil War and Ned who sat beside her and Midtown High and her web fluid notes that she'd flipped a page over to hide…all she could see was the screen and the unknown number and the words in the little bubble.

"I've missed you. We should meet up sometime, Einstein."

She stood up, shoving the phone into her pocket and racing out of the room with a barely coherent 'bathroom' thrown over her shoulder, racing down the hallway and crashing to her knees in front of the first toilet she could make it to, losing every bit of her breakfast and gasping for air between breaths.

No. No way. He couldn't be out. Not yet. She wasn't ready.

Her phone vibrated again, and she pulled it out against her better judgment. She knew that she needed to call May. He shouldn't have been able to get her phone number. It didn't make sense.

"So you got into Midtown. Congratulations, Pretty Penny."

If she'd had anything else to throw up, she would have. Instead, she shoved herself to her feet and pocketed her phone. He knew she was at Midtown. He knew where she went to school and he knew that it was a school day so he could…he could…

She was running before she knew it, feet pounding on the tiled floor of the hallway as the lockers passed in a blur of beige. Forgetting about her backpack and her notes and her purse and the fact that she was technically ditching, she shoved the doors at the end of the hall open and raced across the side of the building to the parking lot, then kept running, stopping only when her phone vibrated again. Skidding to a stop right before running out in the street, she pulled out her phone.

"I can't wait to get you alone again. We're going to have so much fun." And then a picture…a picture of his face. He looked older, of course, with a stupid goatee and a pair of red hipster glasses, but it was him.

Her fingers shook as she typed. "Leave me the fuck alone."

As soon as she hit send, she was running again. He knew her phone number and he knew where she went to school…but he didn't know where she interned. Her arms pumped at her sides as she ran, ignoring the stares she knew she was getting. This wasn't the run of a casual jogger…this was the sprint of someone being chased.

Penny didn't have her badge but Friday let her in the side door anyway, and then she was running up the stairs. She'd never told Mr. Stark about Skip, but now…now she had to. Because he knew where to find her. Because despite the fact that she was strong now, that she had superpowers, she just knew that if she saw him…if he touched her, she would freeze, just like she had when she'd been eleven.

She burst into the common room, barely winded but still gasping for air, then froze. Sam was on the sofa, reading a thick novel that he dropped into his lap when he saw her. She couldn't breathe…she wasn't tired but she couldn't breathe. She needed Mr. Stark.

"Kid?" He asked, putting the book on the sofa beside him and sitting up.

"Mr. Stark?" She asked, not sure if the question was directed at him or Friday.

"He's in a meeting with Steve in DC…it's not lab day. Shouldn't you be at school."

In DC. Mr. Stark was in DC. He couldn't protect her from DC.

"Pen?"

Penny ignored him, heading for the kitchen, hands shaking at her sides as her phone vibrated again. She needed Mr. Stark. She would get a drink and make herself calm down and then…then she would…call him. She would call him and tell him she needed him and he would come because she'd never asked him for anything like this before. He would know that it was serious. He would know. He would help.

She needed help.

Penny pulled her phone from her pocket and her blood froze, stomach clenching in protest, and she was distantly glad she'd already thrown up. The picture wasn't something she hadn't seen before…she'd seen it five times before she'd whispered her shameful, disgusting secret to May. She'd seen it when he'd forced her hand to it and she'd seen it when he'd shoved it down her throat…

She closed the messaging app and felt her back hit the wall, eyes shut so tightly that it hurt as she whimpered without meaning to. Help…she needed help.

"Why aren't you in school, kid? You think being an Avenger means you can…"

"Fuck off, Sam!" She had meant for the words to sound mean enough for him to leave her alone…instead, her voice shook like her hands and his name broke off in a sob. A hand touched her then, and she screamed, knees buckling, arm coming up to protect her face, and without realizing it, she was begging. "Don't touch me don't touch me!"

"Woah. Okay." Sam's voice came to her then, soft and reasonable and kind. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Penny. I shouldn't have touched you. I won't do it again. I'm sorry."

"Don't…don't touch…" She kept begging, eyes still closed, face hidden in her knees.

"Okay. I won't. Not unless you tell me it's okay. I promise. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Mr. Stark…I need him…please…"

"Can do. Friday? Call Tony. Tell him that Penny needs him to come back ASAP."

He would come. If she asked…he would come back.

"Alright. He'll be on his way soon. Can you talk to me?" Sam asked, voice still so calm that her heart started to slow down, just a little.

"He knows…he knows where I go to school."

"Who? Tony?"

"He shouldn't know…he shouldn't be out…"

"Okay…Pen…you have to catch me up, kiddo."

Hands shaking so hard she nearly dropped it, Penny pulled out her phone and opened the messaging app, face turning red as she averted her eyes, then handed it over. He took it without a word, and he heard his sharp inhale…heard his fingers tap the screen as he scrolled up to the beginning of the conversation. "Who is this?" He demanded.

"Skip. He…he was…I didn't know he was out yet…" Sam was silent and Penny felt a hot tear run down her cheek. She hadn't meant to cry. Hadn't meant to look back. She never wanted to look back. Never wanted to remember. "He was my babysitter." She admitted.

"Can I sit beside you?"

Penny nodded, and he shifted, sitting just close enough that she could feel the warmth of his arm beside hers…but he didn't touch her.

"Alright. Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to give your phone to Natasha. We're going to take care of this for you, okay? Tony is going to come back. One of us can talk to your aunt…or you can…she has to know why you left school. But you can stay here until he's taken care of, okay?"

Penny nodded again, sobbing in earnest into her jeans.

"What he did, what he sent you, that's not your fault. None of it. He's disgusting and he's a criminal and we're going to take care of him."

She didn't ask what that meant. Didn't ask what they would do to Skip when they found him. Instead, she sat up a little, then leaned her head against his shoulder. True to his word, he didn't move. But she needed him to…more than anything, Penny wanted the man she trusted like her big brother to hold her. Because that's who he was. "Please…will you…" She trailed off, touching his arm tentatively, and he shifted, bringing an arm up, but stopping before wrapping it around her.

"Is it okay?"

She nodded furiously, still sobbing, and he took the invitation to wrap both arms around her, pulling her close and rubbing her back.

"It's okay. You're safe baby girl…you're safe here. Ain't nobody in this tower going to let anything happen to you. It's okay. We've got your back."

Penny sobbed into his shoulder until her whole body was spent, and she slumped bonelessly against him. Sam caught her easily, scooping her up in his arms before she knew what was happening and carrying her over to the couch where he lay her down, pulling the blanket he'd been using over her. Crouching at her side, he used his thumb to wipe a tear from her cheek. "I'm gonna keep your phone, okay? I'll call Tony, see how soon he can get here. Then I'm gonna find Nat. You okay in here by yourself?"

"Yeah." She whispered, voice hoarse and sore from the tears.

Sam gave a weak smile, pulling his hand away and wrapping her more tightly in the blanket. Disappearing for only a moment, he returned with a glass of water and a packet of cookies that he placed on the floor beside her. "Friday, turn on the TV. How about Parks and Rec?"

She gave a shaky smile and nodded, and within seconds the theme song was playing.

He turned to go, but before he could, she freed her hand from the blanket, reaching out to grip his, and he turned, squeezing her hand, looking at her like he was ready to kill for her if she asked.

"Thank you."

His face softened then, and he gave her hand another quick squeeze. "I've got you, kid. Always."

And then he was heading down the hall to find Natasha and Penny was doing her very best to focus only on Leslie Knope and not on the sound of the conversation happening in the next room.

Thank you for reading!