Good afternoon, everyone! I need your opinions on something... I'm thinking, right now, that I will have 25 chapters in this story that are more relevant to my little story-line. Another part of me, however, wants 30, although the extra five chapters would mostly be shorter Avenger/family fluff stuff. If I choose to do the 30, I would REALLY need some prompts from you lovely people, though. Which one would you rather have? Your opinions REALLY matter to me, so please let me know what you think!

As always, thanks a bunch to Saint of the Sinners and D for their reviews! You guys are awesome!

Special shout out to all my favorites and followers too! Like seriously, you guys are the bee's knees. Everyone give yourself a homeschooler high-five! :D

That's all, folks... Have a MARVELous day!

It had been an hour since Esca had written the letter and made her way onto the roof of Stark Tower. She had brought one of the books Pietro had bought her, but she couldn't bear to open it, knowing there was a possibility he didn't want to be with her anymore.

She swallowed. For another few minutes, she thought about what she would say to Pietro, if he came. Each time, however, the words sounded different, and didn't convey exactly what she wanted. With a resigned sigh, she continued to stare at the book in front of her.

"I may not read much, but I'm relatively sure that's not how you read a book."

Esca couldn't contain the smile that spread across her face. She wouldn't deny that she had worried he wouldn't come. "I could not concentrate on the pages long enough," she admitted, looking over her shoulder. Pietro was standing there, but seeing her sitting on the rooftop, he sat down too.

It was quiet for a moment, and Esca figured she better speak. "I'm glad you came," she murmured. "I just… want to tell you… I'm very sorry for—well, everything. I thought I would spare both you and I pain, but—"

"You don't need to apologize," Pietro interrupted her calmly. "You only need to tell me what you wish."

"Perhaps I wish to apologize," commented Esca mildly. Seeing the look on his face, however, she laughed and added, "Well, I do, if that was not clear in my letter. I also… want to tell you… about whom I once was, if only to relieve myself of the torturous thought that you will be repulsed by me."

Pietro opened his mouth to say something, but she quickly interjected. "I must ask you, however, to please… not say anything until I am finished. No one knows the whole story except perhaps Wanda, if she has unintentionally read my mind. It will be hard for me, I will not lie."

Hearing this, Pietro nodded and watched her intently. Then, after Esca gathered her thoughts, she said, "I know I haven't told you much about myself, but all I have told you was true, including what I said about having a poor relationship with my parents.

"My parents worked for HYDRA, and they were some of the highest-ranking members of the organization. They were so fascinated with their work that they didn't want to deal with me. I remember they used to tell me that I was a burden… But still, they grudgingly parented me, if only so I could become HYDRA too one day.

"When it became clear, however, that I did not wish to follow in their footsteps, they sent me to the Red Room. My parents figured that if I wouldn't work for HYDRA, I should be forced into it. I met Natasha there; she rescued me from being bullied by the other girls. She was the first person whom I ever dared trust. I never had any reason to regret becoming her friend—she kept me alive throughout many of my beatings, because I refused to kill. I would not hurt people, end their lives without a second thought like my parents. I would do all the other things the Nurses wanted, but I would not hurt anyone.

"Then, when I was ten, HYDRA was ready for human experimentation. My parents volunteered me without a second thought. I was brought out of the Red Room, away from my only friend, to Germany. There, I was experimented on, day after day, told that I would be HYDRA's newest monster. Their tests were quite painful, and I hated everyone I met except one man who was in the same position as me. I never knew his name, but he was called Soldier.

"One day, after they conducted more tests on me and discovered that I had no super anything, after three full years of their experimentation, one of the head experimenters… well. He went to extreme lengths to see if I had powers. He tortured me, physically, mentally. Then he did some other stuff to me that I—I feel like you know. The worst part about it was he called in his friends afterward, and let them ravage me like he did. I hated them all—I wanted to kill them. But I didn't, because I would not become a murderer, not even for my own vengeance. I was thirteen then. And I knew, from that day on, that I had to escape.

"It took lots of planning before I was able to run away. They almost caught me, but apparently I wasn't important enough for them to chase. So they jeered at me, calling me a monster as I ran further away. I didn't know where I was going. I ended up on the streets.

"It was only a matter of time before another man decided to use me to his pleasing. I tried to fight him, but I was weak. I couldn't do anything. But once he was done with me, he left me something. It was a five-dollar bill; a note beside it said, 'Get yourself something to eat.'

"It was then that I realized I could sell myself to get off the streets, to eventually make a life of my own. I didn't want to give up, I hadn't escaped HYDRA only to die by myself. So I started… a business. It didn't take long for me to become popular. Apparently, boys like blonde hair and blue eyes. It took a year, but I finally gathered enough money to transport myself to France. I went there in hopes of a better life.

"After getting off my bus, I walked to the country. I slept in a barn one night, and the farmer found me there. But instead of casting me away like I'd expected, he invited me in for breakfast. He turned out to speak English as well as French, and he immediately adopted me and enriched my knowledge of piano and taught me French. He bought me clothes and taught me how to farm. He was the closest thing to a family I ever had. And all I had to do to keep my place was go to school and become a strong young lady. That was all he ever asked.

"I could have stayed there forever. But somehow, HYDRA scientists got wind that their experiments took a while before showing signs of superpowers. When I went to town one day and saw a poster that had my face on it, I knew it was time to move on. I couldn't risk hurting the man or causing him to lose his farm. Nor could I risk being captured again. I had gone through too much to get dragged back to Germany.

"So it was off to Switzerland I went. I lived off the land there for a time; I learned what plants were edible, where the wild animals lived, and where to get the best view of the sunset. I went to town often and sold whatever berries or such I had gathered to keep myself alive. It was an honest life, and one I was proud of. Before long, I got a job at a restaurant, and I soon got a good promotion there. Unfortunately, I had some… unwanted advances from many of my male coworkers. I did not want to stoop to the level I had been at in Germany—nor did I want to be treated like I had been in HYDRA headquarters. So I left.

"I found myself in Sokovia. Even though I had no degree and I was eighteen years old, an elementary school hired me as a kindergarten teacher. I grew to like the town and the children I taught. I was able to afford an apartment, food, and all that I needed. I lived that way until Ultron's invasion.

"So… that's me. I was an assassin, though a very useless one. I was a monster—I still am. I was a prostitute, and a very successful one. I don't know how I avoided having children. It was only when I got to France that I started to redeem myself, if I can even call it that. I just started living more honestly, it wasn't even redemption. So there… that's my past. The end."

Esca was quiet, and she didn't dare look at Pietro for fear of what expression would be on his face. She kept her gaze resolutely on the cover of the book that still sat before her.

An eternity seemed to pass before he murmured, "I cannot believe this."

"I know," she whispered. When she blinked, she felt tears spiking her eyes. "I know, I'm not proud of—of everything I did, if I could change it, I would, but—"

"Esca Rarity, look at me. Right now."

Shocked by the fortitude in his voice, she blinked and looked at him. And she was beyond shocked to see that he looked sad, and not angry. The longer she looked at him, the more certain she was that he was not angry. Why wasn't he angry? Shouldn't he be?

"Esca Rarity," he said again, his eyes practically boring into her mind, "I cannot believe you thought I would hate you once I knew about your past."

Esca was dumbfounded. She had been made into a monster. She had sold her body. Wouldn't most people be repulsed by that?

She opened her mouth to say as much, but he cut her off. "All right, here's where I get to preach, and you have to listen.

"I am not angry with you in the slightest. You were manipulated by your parents, the HYDRA scientists, and the Nurses into thinking that you were useless, or that you were a monster. You never knew anything different. Those words were said to you so much that you believed them, but they aren't true.

"You were a victim, Esca Rarity, not a monster. You weren't a coward for not killing someone, you were brave. And while you may have started a business, you did so with the goal of finding a better life in mind. You only think that you're a monster, a mutant, or a whore because you've never had anyone tell you differently, but by God, I'm going to say it now. You are none of those things. You are brave, and strong, and determined. You were thrown into the worst situations, but you got yourself out.

"Don't you dare tell me that you are a monster. Don't you dare tell me that you are anything less than who you are now. It wasn't by your design to have a hard life, but it was by your design that you got out of it. That being said, I would like to be your friend now more than ever. I would like more than that, but only if you do, too."

Esca had tears streaming down her face, but she managed to restrain a sob as Pietro finished, "You thought I would be repulsed by this, but if anything, I am drawn to you now more than ever. So there's what I'm thinking. The end."

For a moment, Esca simply looked at him. She wiped away the tears on her face and gasped, "Are you telling the truth?"

"Do you trust me?"

She sniffled, yet smiled. "More than anyone."

He smiled and, noticing her shiver, pulled her close. Esca had never felt so light before. It was like everything that had weighed her down had been shoved off her back, and she leaned into Pietro's arms in pure relief. He didn't hate her. In fact, he cared about her.

She thought for a moment, and then said his name. "Pietro?"

"Yes?"

"In my letter—I told you that my fear clouded how I felt about you."
He was quiet for a moment before he said, "That reminds me, I should apologize for what I almost said this morning—"

"I really, really, really like you," she murmured, burying her face in his shoulder. "And I really want to know more about you, and spend more time with you. I don't know what this means, but I just thought I should tell you."

Pietro swallowed and kissed her forehead. "Thank you for telling me," he murmured. "If it means anything, I really like you too."

She smiled again, trying to hold back tears of relief. After a moment, she heard him say, "Esca Rarity, will you look at me?"

Carefully, she removed her head from his shoulder and gazed at him. "What is it?"

He just chuckled softly and replied, "Nothing. I just wanted to do this." And he put a hand on the side of her face and kissed her softly—it was a short, fleeting gesture, but one that made Esca happier than anything. His hands rested lightly on her waist again, keeping her against him. She felt his lips kiss her forehead, her temple, and her lips again, and she felt loved. For the first time since France, she truly felt wanted. The realization was enough to make her cry again—the best thing about it was that Pietro was there to hold her, to confirm that he cared about her, something she thought no one could ever do.

After a moment, Pietro murmured, "If you like, we can either stay here or go back to the common area with the others."

Esca thought for a moment before responding. "Can we have just a few more minutes here? Then I'd be glad to join them."

"Of course," he replied, pulling her close again. Esca let herself be held, as it was the most comforting thing she'd experienced in a very long time. But when she and Pietro finally descended to the common area, as Tony and Clint started teasing them about coming down together, as Natasha forcefully told them to lay off, as Esca answered a phone call from Steve and he reassured her that he was all right, she realized that somehow, these people cared about her, too.