The room was solid black; even though I knew my eyes were open, it was difficult not to question if they were actually glued shut. I rolled in the sheets to lay on my stomach and wrapped my arms around the soft pillow I felt next to my head. Every inch of me was restless. I couldn't remember if I had slept at all.

After dinner had ended with Phil, I immediately floated to my room without so much a glance at anybody I passed. I took forever in the shower, hoping the rushing water would calm my loud mind. I plopped on my bed without any luck. I've been tossing and turning ever since.

"What time is it?" I asked myself, my voice barely audible. I stretched my arm out to the nightstand in search of my phone. Feeling something solid, I grabbed it and brought it to my face, the screen lighting up as I did. 2:36 AM flashed upon it. "Dammit," I sighed and let the phone slip out of my hand.

Slowly, I sat up and placed my face in my palms, gracefully whining, "Whyyyy?" I hated not being able to sleep. Unfortunately it was becoming more frequent every night. "Man, you gotta take stronger sleeping pills. Or half a thing of Nyquil.'

"Come on, get up," I coached. I stretched out my legs and swung them over the side of the bed. Taking a deep breath I pushed myself off the bed. Carefully, I attempted my way to the bathroom. My shoulder collided with the door frame and I let out an irritated groan. My hand fumbled against the wall looking for the light switch. "Ah!" I scowled as my eyes were blinded by light, "Idiot."

Leaning over the sink, I turned the faucet on and splashed cold water on my face. I grabbed the white towel that was on a hanging rack and blotted my face dry, then tossed it on the countertop. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. The dark mahogany hair fell in soft waves down my shoulders with the bangs swept to the left. My green eyes looked foggy from their normal polish and I couldn't decide if that was due to the slight bags that rested underneath them.

I pivoted and looked at the tangled sheets of the bed, which was dimly illuminated by the bathroom light. You could try to sleep… or you could take a walk. I nodded in agreement to my thoughts as I went to the duffle bag. I shifted my hand through it, grabbed a piece of clothing, and standing back up, brought it to the light to reveal a blue sweater shirt. I set it on the countertop. I stepped back into the dark room as I pulled the tank top I was in over my head and tossed it into the mess on the bed. I bent down next to the mattress and retrieved a bra that I had thrown on the floor earlier and pulled the straps over my arms. I struggled a bit trying to hook the back of it as I trekked back to the light, but I got it. I took the sweater and heaved it over my head, adjusting it so the V was subtle. I glanced at the black yoga shorts I was in and figured it was good enough.

My bare feet hit the cold tiles of the hall. The ship was lit up as it usually was, which took me a little by surprise; I hadn't ventured out this late before. It was quiet as I aimlessly wandered. There were a couple of agents I passed along the way, of whom I gave small smiles to. It was very peaceful. I found my mind was blank as I glanced at everything, taking in whatever I saw.

After a while, or what seemed like a long period of time, I noticed that I wasn't too sure where I was or how long I really had been out. I frowned, but kept on walking with my arms crossed in front of me.

A quiet thumping reached my ears. I stopped, trying to focus on the uneven rhythm and to make sure it wasn't an echo of my feet. The sound kept on, so it wasn't me. I scrunched my face and looked up and down the hallway, but it was completely empty. Slowly, I started my stroll again with my attention on the noise. As I ventured along, the sound was gradually getting louder.

I quickened my pace. I wanted to find out what that sound was. All the sudden I realized that I was very near the gym and the noise was definitely louder. I guessed it was coming from there. It's a bit early for a workout…

I slowed down as I came upon the opening to gym. I lighted up on my steps, hoping not to disturb the source. I peeped my head around the corner, my eyes began scouting the room. At the back end of the vast room, past various work out equipment, hung several punching bags. One of those was having its ass kicked by a man. Carefully, I crept towards him, cautious to not trip over any of the gear.

I realized by his blonde hair that it was Wonder Boy. I gaped at him as he threw punches mercilessly at the bag. His back was tense as he swung his muscular arms around, fists colliding with the tattered object swaying in front of him. I was easily memorized by his movements which were full of focus and strength. I traced the outline of the white tank top as it clung to his toned back. But unexpectedly, the punching bag flew off its chain and hit the nearby wall, landing with a thud on the ground. I gasped, "Holy…"

Steve frantically swerved in my direction. "Emma!" his surprised cry matched his bewildered face.

"I, I'm sorry!" I blurted, throwing my hands up in front of me. "I didn't mean to creep on you!" I felt my face burn with embarrassment which then traveled down my neck, flowing to the rest of my body. "I'm sorry!"

"No, no, it's fine," he sputtered, begging to unwrap white bandages from his hands. "Can't sleep?"

I inhaled deeply, hugging my waist. I shook my head as I bit my lip. I watched him plop the neatly folded bandages on the ground, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you. I'll just go-"

"Stay. I need a breather," Steve protested. He placed his hands on his hips and turned his head to the battered punching bag that slumped pathetically on the ground. Hesitantly, I trekked towards the man. I got closer and took an interest in the bag. I never saw a punching bag look as bad as this one did. It was worn out in every way.

"Balls… Remind me not to piss you off," I muttered.

He snorted, "I wouldn't worry about it too much."

"You'd be surprised," I smirked as I got closer to him. I glanced back at the poor bag, still in awe. When I looked back at Steve, I noticed him staring at me before catching my eye. I began panicking on the inside as I realized I wasn't wearing makeup and I was in shorts. Luckily I had shaved earlier in the day; I silently thanked the universe for my decision to do so.

I swallowed and glanced around the room, hoping for a distraction from staring at the way the tank top hugged the man's sculpted torso. My gaze went back to the punching bag. For whatever reason I heard myself exclaim, "You should show me some moves." What are you doing, Emma?

"What?" a startled Steve asked.

I shifted my wide eyes back to him to see he had his arms crossed. I didn't know what drove me to say it or why it was the first thing to come out of my mouth. "Hit me." Oh my god, why couldn't I stop. Steve shifted his weight to one foot, his face a mixture of stern and concern. Please tell me to leave.

"I'm not going to fight you, Emma," he drawled. I placed one leg behind me and bent my knees slightly. I brought my right elbow up at eyelevel while my left lower arm was almost parallel to my torso, both hands in loose fists. I felt adrenaline begin coursing in my bloodstream. Stopppp. I wanted to fight Captain America. Why? Why on Earth do you think this is a good idea? Of all the actions you could have taken, you decided to pick a fight with super human hot guy… Idiot.

I taunted the blonde man I faced, "It's the one time you get to hit a girl. I'm sure you can take on a 140 pound woman."

"Emma, don't-"

I dropped my arms as I interrupted him, "Don't think of it as a battle. Think of it as… getting to know each other." I raised my eyebrows in hope as he placed his hands on his hips once again, his expression a bit more curious. I continued, "Think about it; we might have to fight together if I stay. This way we get comfortable with each other's tactics." Good save. But you're still getting your ass kicked…

He looked away, his face concerned again. I really didn't know why I was pushing this. In any other situation, I'd be terrified to go up against him. He turned back to me still tense. I gave him a smile, "How about every time one of us gets knocked down, the other one gets to ask a question? I promise to go easy on you."

Steve stared at me with his blue eyes, the rest of his face unreadable. Finally, he sighed and laughed a little as he walked closer to me. I smiled wildly as I took up my defense stance again. He stopped in front a few feet in front of me and put his arms up like a boxer. "Alright, but I'm only doing this as a training exercise."

I waited watching his biceps for any sense of movement. I rocked a little on my feet. I wasn't one to make the first move. It seemed like forever, crouching like that. I finally looked at Steve's face. He smirked at me. Before I could even change my expression, my back was on the padded ground and my lungs gasped for air. Steve knelt next to me with a huge smile plastered on his face, "Any family?" I glared at him as I felt where his hand landed in front of my right shoulder and behind my left knee where he gripped.

"Dammit! You pushed me?!" I bellowed as he pulled me up. I couldn't believe it was so simple.

"I thought it was more of a tap. I also pulled your leg out from under you. Sisters? Brothers?"

I took my stance up again, "Two sisters and a brother. They're human, if you're wondering."

Steve swung his right arm a bit more outward than he should have. I took the opportunity to step towards him, dropping low, and spinning as I did. I hooked my foot around his knee and pulled. I landed on my hands and he landed on his back, "Your family?" I stood up and offered my hand.

"I was an only child," he grabbed my hand and I tried to pull him up. "I had a friend, Bucky, who was like my brother though."

Steve's fist jabbed at my stomach. I tried pushing it away with my arm, but he grabbed my wrist with his free hand, spun me as he pulled me towards him, wrapped one arm around my waist and loosely put me in a chokehold with the other. "Hobbies?" I closed my eyes hearing the smiling in his voice. As soon as he let me go, I reeled my elbow towards his head, but he stopped it.

"Well," I jumped to the side to avoid his fist, "I like reading. I play at open mic at that one coffee shop once in a while." I threw a punch at his stomach, but he caught it in his hand.

"You sing?"

I went for an uppercut with my free hand. "A little. Nothing fantastic." He pushed my stomach, making me stumble back. I steadied myself as I put my fists in front of me. "I love cooking and baking. But I don't have anyone to cook for. That's what I miss most about-" I ducked from his punch, "-living in the mansion. There was always someone home for dinner." I kicked at his thigh and he took a few steps back. I realized I was breathing hard and Steve didn't seem to show any sign of weariness. "Did you grow up in Brooklyn?"

"It's not your turn," he smirked.

I rolled my eyes, "Fine." I scanned his stance quickly and noticed his legs were spread out enough that I could probably slide under him. I stared at Steve as I tried judging how far I could skid on the matted ground without using my powers. I ran at him, deciding I didn't need to really get that far. He swung his arm at me but missed as I threw my weight into my legs and hit the ground. I barely passed under him. I sprung up and round house kicked his side before he could turn around. He stumbled forward and I ran and jumped at him. I placed my hands near his neck, wrapped my legs under his arms, and pulled. I landed with a thud on my back as did Steve. He looked at me clearly shocked. I grinned as I tried to steady my breathing, rolling over, "New Yorker or not?"

He sat up. "Where'd you learn that?"

"It's not your turn," I mocked as I started to get up. Suddenly, Steve grabbed my leg, pulling me down towards him, and flipped me on my back. He took both my hands in one of his and held my arms above my head while the other kept a steel grip on my hip. My eyes wide as I stared at his smirking face. I started laughing at how ridiculous the situation was and how much fun I was having. He was going easy on me. All of the blows he landed on me should have hurt, but they were nothing but gentle taps. Even as he brought me down now, it was like he made sure he inflicted as little damage as he could. "I've trained with assassins for the last year," I finally breathed out.

"Brooklyn born and raised," he replied, blue gorgeous eyes smiling as bright as his face. My breathing began to slow down. "Are you from New York?" he stood up, bringing me with him.

"No, I'm from Wisconsin. I moved a few years back," I jabbed at his side then ducked from his aim. "It was really awful at first. I lived in my car for like three weeks because I couldn't find a place I could afford."

Steve blocked my kick, "You said you lived in a mansion?"

"The X-Mansion. Home of the X-Men. It's a school for mutants. They found me one night and took me there."

"What do you mean by that?" he ducked from me. It was like we were dancing now that we were beginning to get used to each other's movements.

"Well, I was being followed and they sort of saved me." He took hold of my hips and somehow flipped me on my back on the ground, knocking the wind out of me. He looked down at me concerned.

"Who was following you?" He extended his hand to me, which I gladly took.

"This group of mutants. It's kind of a long story," I stated as I steadied myself next to him. "But basically there's this guy called Magneto who believes mutants are the advanced race and whenever he can, he tries to get all kinds of mutants on his side for world power or something like that." I exhaled loudly and ran my hand through my hair. I glanced at his troubled face. "Obviously, they didn't get me otherwise I wouldn't be walking around here." I looked up at him. I just laughed. We were playing 20 questions with our fists.

"What?" he asked, amused.

I shook my head, "This is fun. Even if you're going easy on me, Wonder Boy."

He snorted at the name. "I said before, I don't want to fight you. Besides, you're going easy on me too." And he lightly hit my arm.

"It wouldn't really be fair to you if I didn't," I sneered. "We can go a few rounds and really fight, if you'd like." He immediately shook his head. "I wouldn't mind. I kind of want to see what you got," I playfully nudged his arm.

He looked down at me with a cautious face, "I don't want to hurt you."

I smiled at him, "There isn't a doubt in my mind that you could easily toss me across this room. But you can't hurt me, Steve. I promise. So if you ever need a boxing buddy, I'm here." His shoulders relaxed. I yawned and stretched as I did so. I finally felt the fatigue set in.

"I think it's about time to turn in. Come on, I'll walk you back to your room." He picked up the bandages from off the floor. I followed him closely as we walked out of the gym.

"So, you're part of the X-Men and you save people?" Steve questioned.

I snorted, "Yeah, something like that."

"Why did you leave the mansion?"

"I…I'm not really sure," I scrunched my face as I thought. "I guess I was offered a job in Albany and I took it without thinking about it… I been thinking a lot about moving back though. I miss everyone." I stared ahead, my arms together behind me. I did miss my friends, like Rogue and Logan and Kurt. Hell, I even missed Remy, that sly French jerk. I missed the mixture of energies, abilities, and the pure raw talent that swirled in the mansion. Everybody fit in, even if you didn't. We all loved each other and pushed everyone to be the best they could be.

"Is it easy? To control water?" Steve's genuine voice interrupted my thoughts. I peered up at his curious, kind face.

"Um…I guess. I don't have to think about it so much anymore. I just kind of… do it," I replied uncertainly. He tilted his head slightly and raised an eyebrow in question. I realized what I said probably just confused him. "Okay, so when this first happened, I had no control of what happened. And it freaked me out. I thought I was going to die," I chortled. "That's why I left and moved to New York. But after meeting the X-Men, I learned to control myself."

"Do you have much trouble with it?"

"Honestly, sometimes," I looked down at my feet as we walked, a little embarrassed. I paused before I went on to explain, "If I'm really emotional, like I'm pissed or just really upset, I don't always have control. I was in this place that had a beautiful water fountain and I had gotten really upset from an argument I just had with a friend and all the sudden the fountain breaks and it's gushing water," I laughed at the memory, "and all the fire hydrants in the area had flooded the streets. It was ridiculous."

I heard Steve snort at my side. I could feel his eyes on me. I slowly finished, "If I'm in a fight and I have adrenaline going and I'm all worked up, sometimes if there's water nearby, it just comes to me and I use it without mentally having to tell it to. I don't really know how to explain it, but it's like my subconscious is more linked to the mutant genes than my conscious mind is." I returned my sight to the hallway in front of me and saw my room just up ahead.

"I get it, it takes a lot of time to adjust to changes. If it counts for anything, I believe in you. I trust you to trust in yourself," Steve expressed. I stared into his eyes and a chill ran down my spine. We stood there. He was amazing. Absolutely beautiful. His words were full of care and respect. And for only knowing him a small while, they meant the world to me.

"Thank you," I breathlessly spoke. I shook my head to wake myself out of the trance state I was sinking in. "Um, I guess I should turn in." I gestured to my door.

"Right! Of course! I will see you tomorrow. If you need anything, I'm just a few doors down." He smiled at me, and I returned it, nodding my head. "Goodnight." With that, he slowly turned and headed towards his room. I watched him a couple of seconds before I reached for my door handle.