Incredibly sorry about the delay over the last few years. I intend to finish this story but my writing style has changed over the years so I'm hoping to elevate it slightly. Thanks to all those who continue to look at this story. It means the world to me! This is a filler chapter but there will be more Peter and Nora interactions later.

Alex

Two months after Civil War

"Thanks, Dr Allstead," Nora mumbled as she sat on the examination table, moving her shirt down to cover the scar.

Dr Allstead gave her a comforting smile, disposing of his gloves, "So the injuries completely healed. Just need to keep taking your pain medication if it becomes too painful, and everything should be okay. How are your sleeping habits under the current dosage? Getting a full four hours?"

Nora's feet swung underneath the bed as she casually replied, "Yeah, they're working. I still have nightmares, though."

Dr Allstead just nodded solemnly, patting her on the knee. "Well, I'm glad to hear they're working. Let me know if the nightmares continue. I might be able to up the dosage if they do. I will see you next check-up."

Nora jumped down before gesturing to the door, "I think my dad wanted to see you before I left."

Dr Allstead's chuckled nervously, colour draining from his face. "Oh-oh, okay. Of course. Send him in, please."

Nora narrowed her eyes at the Doctor's strange behaviour, leaving to grab her dad, chalking it up to the pressure of meeting a renowned doctor.

Her dad sat in the corner of the waiting room, fiddling with a tablet in his lap. The tall and slender man radiated power in his grey two-piece suit. Even though he was a doctor, Nora was sure she'd never seen him in scrubs. She couldn't even imagine him in scrubs. Thin-framed glasses sat on his narrow bridge, attentive eyes glaring at the tablet. Many people commented that the kids didn't resemble the parents, but looking at her father now… she'd seen that look of determination on her brothers. Glancing up at the sound of footsteps, he quickly turned off the tablet, "How'd it go?"

"Got the all clear. Dr Allstead is waiting."

A tight smile crossed his face as he stood up. "Look after the stuff, I'll be back in a minute," he kissed her forehead quickly before moving with purpose. She watched as Dr Allstead cowered in the doorway at the sight of her dad, who hissed something at the doctor. Her father glanced back at Nora, and with a quick wink, her watchful gaze was cut short by the closing door.

Slumping in her seat with a yawn, she opened her phone to message the yearbook committee about the weekend fundraising event. Her schedule was incredibly overwhelmed by her role on the school board and her assignments, numerous doctor visits, and internships her dad had gotten her into. She wished she could take a break. She was exhausted due to her insomnia, her bones felt heavy, and she was pretty sure she had fallen asleep in chemistry yesterday. And that is her favourite subject!

A message from Peter, asking about meeting up after school, calmed her a little. Her cheeks blushed, a natural response to a friend spending time together, and she began to type a resounding yes.

As the door to Dr Allstead's office opened, Nora saw her dad walk out – a little more relaxed than before – promising lunch just the two of them.

"Is everything okay with Dr Alstead?" Nora asked, watching the door for any sight of the strange man.

Her dad steered her out of the clinic, blocking Nora's view, "He's just getting senile in age. It may be time to get you a new doctor. Also, you should take note not to become anything like him."

Nora rolled her eyes as she listened to her dad lecture her on the properties of a great doctor whilst ushering her to the car.

After finishing class early (thank God), Nora hung around the school gate, waiting for Peter. Kicking the pebbles before her, listening to some rock band blast from her earphones, she felt uncomfortable. Usually, Nora was pretty sure of herself. She oozed confidence – that's the only way to get to the top, her dad assured her. However, she felt small, like the world was berating her for taking up too much room. She just wanted to lay in bed all day. She wasn't sleeping, which didn't help things.

"Hey," Peter waved at Nora as he came bounding down the stairs of Midtown High, pushing through the crowd of students eager to get home. Nora's stomach tightened as if a hand clenched around her intestines.

Nora nodded, tilting her head in the direction they were headed, "Know any good food to eat on the way home?" Nora shouldn't say home. It wasn't her home. She may have felt incredibly safe there… but it wasn't hers to call home.

"Yeah, there's a pizza shop a block away?" Peter rubbed the back of his neck.

"Will they do pineapple on pizza?" Nora questioned seriously.

He rolled his eyes at her disgusting selection, "That's a terrible choice in toppings. If they don't have any, I guess we can buy pineapple from the store."

Shrugging, she compromised and started heading in the pizza shop's general direction, "Great, let's hurry because I'm starving."

"You know…" Peter gestured to himself, "We could always get there a faster way."

A feeling of dread grew in her stomach, causing her to stumble around a passing stranger. Nora shook her head adamantly, "Absolutely not."

"Come on!" he exclaimed, "it's honestly exhilarating. And your wounds finally healed."

"I like my feet on the floor." Nora nearly winced at that excuse. It was not plausible. Nora loved roller coasters and desperately wanted to go bungee jumping or skydiving for her 18th birthday. But something about flying through the air reminded her of her accident a few months ago. And that was something she didn't want to relive.

"That is the weakest excuse I have ever heard."

"What! It's true. I don't like heights."

"Utter bullshit. You went on that rollercoaster eight times in a row until you puked."

"At least I knew it was safe!"

Peter stopped walking, "Do you not trust me?"

Nora rubbed her forehead, irritated, "I trust you with my life Pete. C'mon, you know that. Right?"

Peter felt shattered. She didn't trust him. Why should she? He's made so many mistakes, and without Mr Stark, Peter wouldn't be here today. She's right-

As Nora grabbed his hand, Peter felt all thoughts escape him. Moving away from the sidewalk and passing strangers, Nora squeezed his hand, "Pete. I have fought beside you. Against avengers and bullies like Flash. And you've always had my back. I'm just not comfortable with that yet. I'm not feeling one hundred per cent anyway. I promise one day."

Peter nodded, still a little hurt, wrapping Nora in a hug. Nora sighed, squeezing him tighter than she should've for a platonic hug. "I'm sorry for being so pushy," Pete whispered into her hair. He felt her mumble something into his chest, probably an 'it's okay. "C'mon, let's go and get some pizza."

Tugging on her hand, Peter led her to the store. "How was the doctor's appointment?"

"Okay, I guess. Got the all-clear from Dr Allstead. Although he was acting a bit strange today."

"Strange?" Peter asked as they waited in line.

"I honestly can't describe it, but something felt wrong. I don't know. Maybe I'm just paranoid."

Peter bumped his shoulder into hers with a grin, "Well, you know what they say. Only the paranoid survive."

Nora chuckled a little, feeling her shoulders relax, "I guess I'll be surviving for a while then."

They talked the whole way home about school, the photography club, and all their worries and fears, which seemed to melt away for a bit. In each other's company, they were safe. Nothing could hurt them.

Pizza finished, they moved to the couch to watch the newest film on Netflix, Nora brought up something on her mind, "So I've been seeing Spiderman swinging past a couple of times."

Peter nearly dropped his popcorn, "I mean, yeah, I guess I've been in your neighbourhood once or twice."

Nora narrowed her brows whilst tilting her head, "Hmm? What? No, I mean you've been out a lot as Spiderman recently. Like I've seen you on the news and stuff."

"Oh… Yeah, I've just been helping out where I can."

"That's great. What did Stark say?"

Peter moved around a little, uncomfortable, "I honestly haven't been able to reach him."

"What, really?" Nora said, moving to face him. Curling her feet, she spoke quietly while picking at the couch's blue cotton, "He's been trying to reach me nonstop. I think he feels bad about me getting hurt."

"Yeah, probably. He probably feels guilty about the whole thing. I can't imagine fighting my friends."

Nora nodded, "But what do you mean he hasn't contacted you?"

Shrugging, Peter took a few bites of popcorn, "He sends my calls straight to Happy. He's probably busy." At Nora's look of concern, Peter stayed quiet. "I mean, he is Iron Man! A lot is going on."

"But he's also your mentor, right?"

"Well, mentor is a bit of a stretch," Peter said, putting down the popcorn.

"Maybe he's avoiding you then."

"Why?"

"He's probably really guilty about involving two kids in a mess we shouldn't have been involved in. The fact that he sought you out? Probably not his best move. Maybe he's ignoring you on purpose because he can't acknowledge his actions. Just a thought, though." Nora faced the tv, missing the hurt look on Peter's face.

The sound of an alarm faintly ringing a few blocks away caused Peter to run for his suit frantically.

"Where are you going?" Nora asked, pausing the TV.

"There's a fire nearby; I've gotta see if I can do anything." Pulling on his suit haphazardly, he tossed Nora a smile that took her breath away. His ruffled hair and seriousness just completed the hero look. Returning to the couch, he unpacked the TV and laid a blanket on her lap.

"I'll be back in a bit! Just stay and watch the movie," He glanced back to watch her shocked expression, mouth hanging open, as he jumped from the window.

Nora ran to the windowsill, checking he was okay, laughing slightly as she watched him swing from building to building. At least he was okay, Nora sighed before returning to the movie. Her phone vibrated, alerting her to a message from her father. Dr Allstead's wife was terminally ill, meaning he had to leave the practice for a bit. Her father had attached a list of other physicians to be Nora's primary GP. Nora found it funny that he hadn't mentioned anything that morning. It must have been sudden.

Feeling like she was imposing, Nora turned off the TV and folded the blanket, leaving Peter and May's apartment quickly. She could've sworn someone was watching over her on her way home. Probably just Peter. With a small smile at his protectiveness, she bounded down the street to her home.

As Nora exited the apartment building, her image was photographed by a man sitting in an unmarked black sedan a block away. He snapped a few more images of her hailing a cab. Checking the clarity of the photos, he nodded to himself before putting the camera away. Pulling out his burner, he dialled the first number on the speed dial, the contact answering after the first ring.

"Are you following the suspect?"

"Yes, Mam, the suspect has not exhibited any signs of extra-terrestrial manifestations."

"That's good to hear. Report back to head office, and finish your report."

The man nodded before posing a question, "Mam, are you sure this child possesses cosmic powers?"

"Positive. We made them like that."

"So I'll meet you here, and then we'll all walk to the soccer fields."

"Why do I have to do soccer?" Charlie whined out the front of his school.

Nora bit her lip, trying to come up with a somewhat nice answer however, Daniel opened his goddamn mouth, "because you skipped a grade, and Mum's worried you have no friends."

"Daniel!" Nora said as she whacked him on the arm, turning to Charlie, who continued scowling. "It's also the fact that you don't exercise, and she's worried about your health."

"Ughh! I hate you two. I hope you die alone," Charlie grunted, stomping up the school steps.

"We love you too!" Nora yelled after him, watching Charlie's ears turn red as he hurried away.

"It must be so hard on mum and dad; we were nowhere near that difficult when we were that age," Daniel stated.

Nora raised an eyebrow, "You threw a tantrum the first day of school because your school shoes didn't feel right. A very different situation to unwillingly partaking in social sports."

"They were too tight! How is that my fault." Danny angrily threw his hands up, "I can't even deal with you."

"I can't even deal with you," Nora mimicked Daniel mockingly, earning her the bird. "Come on; we'll be late if we continue arguing here."

Dodging pedestrians and other students on their way to the high school, the two siblings huddled together. Danny droned on about rubbish videos he'd last watched while Nora listened with little interest. Asking the occasional question kept him engaged, so at least there's that. Nora approached the front gate and asked Danny, "Are you coming to Charlie's training?"

Danny shrugged his orange backpack up higher on his shoulder, "I promised I'd help mum with dinner tonight."

"Right, okay. We're going to be home around six, then." An awkward silence fell between them before Nora broke the ice, "Bye, I guess then." Patting him on the shoulder, Nora moved across the football field towards her day's first class.

"Hey, man! What the hell are you doing?" The commotion behind her made Nora turn slightly. She could just make out the shape of a large senior towering over a lanky kid with a bright orange backpack.

"You have got to be kidding me," Nora muttered, hurrying back to the growing crowd of students. "Sorry, excuse me." She pushed through the crowd and saw her brother shrinking in on himself as this senior continued screaming, shoving Daniel. Gone was the confident teenager who caused mischief. Left behind was a cowering, trembling boy.

"Hey," Nora shouted, finally making it to the front, gaining the attention of Danny and the senior, "What the hell is going on?"

"This dipshit here," the senior enunciated whilst shoving Daniel once more for good measure, "broke the front gate."

"What? No, he didn't. It was fine just a moment ago-"

Looking past the altercation, she saw a broken gate. Broken was not the best description. A metal mess was probably better: the handle was scrunched, leaving an indented handprint, while the gate was ripped off its hinges. Nora's jaw fell open. Her eyes darted from Danny to the gate.

Regaining her composure, she said, "Look, it's probably an old gate; just let him go, man."

The senior seemed to back off reluctantly just as a teacher approached from the opposite side of the gate, "What is going on here? Homeroom started 5 minutes ago?"

"Scatter!" a student yelled from the back of the crowd, causing the students to run in multiple directions towards the school. The teacher, yelling for students to stay where they were, was ignored.

Grabbing Daniel by his backpack, Nora pulled him in a direction away from the teacher, rushing towards the school's side entrance. Whilst tripping up a flight of stairs, Nora frantically questioned him, "What did you do?"

"I don't know!" Danny exclaimed out of breath, "It just crumpled under my hand."

"You did that?!"

"I don't know. Maybe?"

Nora grabbed him by his backpack's shoulder straps, pulling him into a quiet corridor, "Don't play games. How did you do that?"

"I keep telling you! I don't know. It just happened."

Frantically twisting her head, trying to watch out for teachers, Nora whispered, "Has this happened before?"

"Well…"

"Has it!" Nora shook him.

"Once. Like a couple of months ago. While you were in Germany, I kicked the street sign, which freaking bent! I just thought it was a dodgy sign. But that gate-"

As Daniel kept talking, Nora's vision became blurry. Her skin felt on fire. "Stop talking," Nora whispered while Daniel rambled, "Stop talking. Stop talking! Shut up!" Finally getting his attention, Nora hesitated, "You cannot talk about this with anyone but me ever again. Okay? This is serious." Seeing him cautiously nod, she continued. "If they ask, you are gonna deny breaking the gate. You're going to take everything out of your backpack and ditch it. God, we're so lucky this school doesn't have CCTV. Next, we're going to go to class. And then you're coming to Charlie's soccer game with me this arvo. Got it?"

As Danny nodded along, finally shrugging off his backpack, he quickly dumped the contents he couldn't carry into Nora's backpack. Nora dropped his backpack in a corner behind the lockers.

Danny started to walk away to his home group but quickly turned back and hugged Nora. It was a bone-crushing hug. Nora, who could feel all his concern and worry, gently smiled and hugged him back. "It's going to be okay," Nora said, glancing back at his teary eyes, "Skip homeroom and just go to first class."

Danny made to protest, but the look in his big sister's eyes told him everything would be fine. He was going to be fine. With Nora by his side, nothing would go wrong. Nodding, he headed down the corridor to his first class, leaving Nora to head to homeroom late.

As Nora sat at an empty desk in the back of the classroom, she slammed her head onto the desk. The creaking of the chair beside her made Nora groan internally. "Hey, Sam," Nora mumbled.

"Where were you this morning? Did you hear about the school gate," Sam asked quickly.

Nora kept her head on the desk, turning to look at him slightly, "I was dropping Charlie off at school this morning. What happened to the school gate?"

Sam being back really threw Nora off her game. He somehow was at the right place every single time. Like the other week, Nora was hanging a school banner for the School Teacher Appreciation Day when the ladder gave out, and Sam caught her. And there was another time when Nora needed help carrying books to the library, and he was coming out of the music room and offered to help.

While his knack for being nearby may have weirded Nora out, she couldn't help but note that he was incredibly cute and charming. All the girls seemed to throw themselves at him whenever they could. And yet he remained single. Another red flag? Or was Nora simply jealous?

"It's like it completely melted. How crazy is that?" Sam asked, shoving his backpack onto his right shoulder, ready to head out.

"Melted? That doesn't sound right. Probably some crazy rumour," Nora tried to say, only stuttering slightly.

Sam shrugged, "I'm just contributing to this week's gossip wheel, unfortunately. Although, you'd have to have insane strength for something like that to happen."

Nora gulped slightly, choking on saliva, "yep, insane strength."

"Oh, also," Sam said quickly as the bell rang, "your dad invited me for dinner next week."

Of course, her father would invite Sam, the cute-looking 'new' guy she was practically soulmates with back in middle school.

"Guess I'll see you next week then," Nora gave a tight smile, ready to leave.

"Actually, we have biology together next," Sam said with a smile, standing in her peripheral vision.

Looking up at the ceiling, Nora prayed quickly for this day to be over, "Great, guess we should get going." The two of them headed to their next class, Nora silent while Sam babbled about something her dad had mentioned. Nora couldn't help but worry about why Sam was spending so much time with her Dad.

"So… We should talk about what happened at school today." Nora and Daniel were sitting on the grandstands watching Charlie drop to the floor, playing dead, as the soccer ball flew near him.

"We've already talked about that. In length!" Daniel exclaimed, hanging his head.

Nora looked at the strangers nearby before hissing at him, "this is dangerous. I need all the facts."

"The facts. Okay. That gate should have been replaced years ago," Daniel said smugly.

Staring at her dumbass brother, her eyes bugging out, she bit out, "it was! It was replaced last year, which means that something is going on. Also doesn't explain the street sign."

Spluttering, Daniel threw his hands up in defeat, "but I don't even know what it means!"

Glancing back over to Charlie, who was being screamed at by the coach to get up and do something, Nora sighed, "Look I wasn't going to say anything because I'm not even sure it happened… but I think I had an episode like you did." Danny seemed to freeze at that.

"What do you think happened?" He whispered, choking on his words.

Nora grimaced again, "I think I stopped an object in the air. I think. I'm not quite sure."

"Well, what kind of object? If it was a lighter object, it could have just been slowly falling, you know? Or maybe you haven't been getting enough sleep because of your insomnia." Danny pressed.

Recalling the events of the airport fight wasn't something that made Nora happy, "I'm pretty sure it was a car."

"A car!" Danny stood up, shocked.

"Shhhhhh!" Nora sighed deeply at her brother's inability to shut up it seemed.

"I'm still not too sure. But if anything like this happens again, please let me know. And we need to keep an eye on Charlie. The likelihood is if this is happening to the two of us, then it's probably happening to him."

They both turned to watch Charlie scream as the ball flew a couple of feet near him.

"That boy is definitely not cut out for soccer," Daniel said.

"Agreed."