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Since I bored you all to death with my last author's note (sorry about that again), this is all for now! Have a MARVELous day, everyone!

A few days after the Otho incident, Pietro was out of his temporary cast, and he and Tony were completely back to normal. Esca's healing had helped a lot, according to them, although she suspected they were exaggerating how amazing they felt to make her feel good.

It was one week later that Tony burst into the common area and announced, "We should take a vacation."

Everyone had been chatting amiably, but when this exclamation was made, everyone stopped and stared at him. It was Steve who spoke up first. "What do you mean, a vacation?"

"I mean, get away from New York, from Stark Tower," he announced, shrugging and heading to the fridge for a drink. He poured a glass of orange juice and offered some to Wanda before continuing. "Don't you ever get that feeling where you just need to relax for a while? Because I do."

"What if we're needed?" replied Natasha.

"We won't be," retorted Tony, raising an eyebrow. "Nine months after Ultron happens, we've only had one mission. And that was a week ago. I don't think anyone will try anything funny within the next few days."

James pointed at Tony and admitted, "He's got a point."

Steve smiled and threw an arm around James's shoulder. "He does, Buck, you're right. But maybe one or two of us should remain here, just in case…"

"Come on, Capsicle!" exclaimed Tony. "We all need a vacation."

"I'm sure it wouldn't hurt, Steve," said Esca, deciding that she liked the sound of this idea.

Steve, who noted the hopeful tone in Esca's voice, smiled and gazed at her for a moment. Seeing that James and the others also agreed with Tony, he held his hands up in surrender. "All right, Stark. I guess you win. So where are we going? When?"

Tony smirked and declared, "You've all got fifteen minutes to pack. Then I want you back here. We're leaving now."

And he skipped out of the room, announcing, "Pack for warm weather!" as he went.

The Avengers glanced at each other before hustling up the stairs or cramming the elevator to get to their rooms.

Esca wasted no time, swiftly donned a red sundress and matching sunhat before packing two more pairs of clothes and other necessities. Then she ran back to the common area.

Zelda and James followed her, and then they were ready to go. Tony gestured them to the parking garage of a flying vehicle he called the Quinjet and declared, "Pile in."

The Avengers did so obediently, and then they were off.

"Where are we going, Tony?" questioned Esca excitedly.

He grinned. "Somewhere fun."

"Any specifics?" prompted Wanda, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope. It'll be a surprise."

Most of the Avengers were exasperated with this, but not Esca. If anything, she was even more excited. She did like surprises…

It was only a three hour ride to wherever it was they were going. Tony insisted on driving the entire time, and he bellowed cheerily, "We're here!" as he landed the jet.

Esca and the others practically squashed against each other to look at where they were. She noticed there was a lot of grass and a few trees around.

"This nature is quite lovely," declared Thor, nodding approvingly. "It is nice to see it after spending so long in the place you call a city."

"Glad you like it, Point Break. We're going to be camping out here."

"Camping? Really?" asked Natasha, rolling her eyes. "How stereotypical."

Tony, however, shushed her with, "We'll only be here at night. Today, we're doing something a little more exciting… And by that, I mean there's an amusement park just a mile out. I can't park any closer or people will freak out like they do. Hopefully it's okay if we walk."

The others decided this was fair, and everyone left their belongings on the Quinjet as they walked to the amusement park.

Pietro and Wanda were walking together, discussing something lowly, so Esca decided to walk with Bruce, who looked excited. "Have you ever been to an amusement park, Esca?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Never, but I've been dying to go."

"You'll like it," promised Bruce, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her close like a father might have.

"I bet I will!" exclaimed Esca with another grin.

Bruce spent the walk explaining what kind of things she'd find in the park, and Esca listened with rapt attention. She was very excited to try what he called a rollercoaster and could hardly stand the wait.

It only took fifteen minutes for them to arrive; when they did, James read the sign. "Universal Studios?"

"Give you any hint about where we are?" quipped Tony.

"Florida," answered Zelda, raising her eyebrows. "Haven't been here in years! Last time I went I was with my cousin Ellis, and we hit the Harry Potter section three days in a row."

"Yep," answered Tony, clapping his hands together. "There's also a section in here dedicated just for us. I figured that would be pretty cool."

Esca couldn't help but laugh at that. "That's amazing, Tony! Can we go try a rollercoaster? Bruce wants to show me what they are."

Tony's eyes bugged at that. "You've never been on a rollercoaster?"

She shook her head.

"Who else has never been on a rollercoaster?"

Steve, James, Vision, Thor, and Wanda all raised their hands. Esca thought it strange that Pietro didn't raise his hand too—maybe he'd taken a father/son trip sometime?

Zelda, recalling that James had never been presented the opportunity to ride a rollercoaster, gasped audibly and seized his arm before dragging him into the park. Esca heard her declare, "You gonna learn today!" as she marched off, James obediently following, though he did comment, "Your wish is my command! Apparently."

Steve moved to Tony and muttered, "People will recognize us."

"I've taken care of it. I called ahead. Well, actually, Pepper called ahead."

"What do you mean, called ahead?"

"I mean it won't be crowded today. We rented out the place. Only three-thousand people are allowed in today. This way we might avoid some press or crazy fans."

Steve sighed, but relented as Esca squealed and pointed to a large metal structure. "Is that a rollercoaster?!"

"It is indeed, blondie!" exclaimed Tony, a wide grin on his face. He slung an arm around Esca's shoulder before announcing, "Who wants to come with me to give blondie her first rollercoaster experience!"

Almost everyone decided they would come—only Steve, Natasha, Vision, and Pietro abstained, preferring instead to watch and laugh from below. The others, however, were thrilled, as this was also Wanda's, Thor's, and James's first rollercoaster as well.

"Make sure you get the pictures of this, Nat," grinned Clint to Natasha. "I really want to see the looks on their faces when we get off this thing."

And so, the majority of the group got in line for the rollercoaster. Once they were on, Esca, who was sitting next to Tony, couldn't help bouncing a little. "This is really exciting," she exclaimed, a manic grin on her face. "These things have always seemed so fun!"

"You'll love it, trust me," laughed Tony.

The ride began—they ascended the giant mechanical hill. Esca took the opportunity to look at the scene below, and she almost gasped aloud. It was amazing, how everything seemed to shrink, how far she could see out. She turned around to see Wanda was smiling a little.

Wanda noticed Esca was looking at her. "You ready?" she asked.

"More than ever!"

"Turn around, blondie! You don't want to miss this!" exclaimed Tony, and Esca obeyed just in time. As she and Tony were in the front row, she got a glimpse of the drop—and then they were falling, and she was screaming, but it was an exhilarated scream as they fell and she slightly lifted off the seat. And then they were roaring across the tracks, Tony laughing like a madman, Wanda exclaiming in shock, and Bruce making a mock Hulking-out face.

Esca loved rollercoasters. They were her new favorite thing—she loved the wind in her face, the adrenaline as they plunged toward the ground, the speed the ride picked up on its descent. Her only complaint was that it was over much too quickly.

When she got off the ride, she and Tony were giggling like schoolchildren. Bruce and Thor were laughing as well; Wanda threw her hands to her face and struggled to figure out what she thought about the ride. The others were grinning—James asked, "Can we do that again?"

Zelda grinned and kissed his cheek. "Yes. Let's do that again. I'm proud of you for liking rollercoasters."

Once they were in line again, Tony turned back to Esca. Steve, Vision, and Pietro walked up to her as well. "So, blondie? What'd you think?"

"I love it!" she gasped without wasting any more time. "We should try another one!"

Tony grinned. "Your wish is my command!" he exclaimed, taking a leaf out of James's book. "Cap, you want to try?"

Steve looked over and noticed that James seemed to be having a lot of fun. "Sure, why not? Vision, Maximoff, you want to come, too?"

The android glanced at the rollercoaster and shrugged. "I might as well."

Pietro smiled too, though there was something odd about it. Esca glanced at him and noticed that he was slightly pale. Was he feeling well? "No thanks, Rogers. I think Wanda might need some company." This last was said as a chuckle, as Wanda was breathing heavily.

"Alright then," said Steve. "Let's go on a rollercoaster."

Steve ended up being satisfied with the one rollercoaster ride, and was thus designated with collecting the numerous pictures taken of his friends while on the rides. Vision seemed to like them, though he only went when Wanda did. Tony, Esca, Clint, Thor, and Bruce were always in the front, screaming like crazy people and throwing their hands in the air. James and Zelda were closer to the back—they seemed to like it better there—but they too really enjoyed the rides. Natasha and Pepper only went on a couple, although they liked them too.

By the evening, only Pietro hadn't ridden at least one rollercoaster.

The others didn't seem to notice, but Esca had. Throughout the day, she'd wondered if he had been ill—he'd been pale whenever she asked if he wanted to ride a rollercoaster with her. But by dinnertime, while the others were eating dinner and laughing at all the pictures, as Wanda was murmuring lowly to him, she figured it out.

Esca moved toward Pietro and gently took his hand. "Hey there. You want to take a walk?"

He smiled and said, "Sure." Then they left, leaving the others roaring with laughter over the picture of Tony's crossed eyes as he screamed in utter exhilaration.

Once they were out of earshot, Esca murmured, "You've been distant today… Are you alright?"

He nodded quickly. "Quite," he answered, trying vainly for a smirk. "I'm just tired."

She gave him a look. "Pietro."

"What?"

"You're scared of heights."

He blinked once and gazed at her before sighing. "They… aren't… my favorite thing in the world. Ever since I… looked down into the hole that swallowed our parents, when we were ten… I've never liked heights. Every time I look down, all I can see is our destroyed house, and our parents underneath the wreckage."

Esca watched as he spoke and saw that his eyes were darting warily. She clutched his arm and murmured, "You could've said something. I would've stayed with you."

"I didn't… want to bother you."

She recoiled sharply and all but glared at him. "Pietro Maximoff, if you think that would've bothered me, you must be out of your mind. If I had known, I would've spent the day with you."

"That's actually what I wanted to avoid," chuckled Pietro, still looking at the ground. "You were having fun, and I was very glad to see you happy."

Esca's anger melted until she became very sad. "But I want you to be happy too."

"It's just one day," he laughed, glancing at her with the familiar careless gleam in his eye. "You deserved the family bonding. These rollercoasters are really bringing everyone together," he added thoughtfully. "Besides, there's plenty of time of vacation left. I'm sure there are other things to do, and plenty more opportunities to have fun."

Hearing this, Esca sighed. She felt very bad for not realizing Pietro's fear of heights, but at the same time, she wanted to free him from the fear, just as he had freed her from her fear of being unlovable. She didn't know what to do or say except, "I'm sure there will be. Maybe we should go get something to eat."

"I agree, I'm starving."

"What else is new?" giggled Esca, and they returned to the table to see that the others were almost done eating.

"Hey guys," waved Bruce amicably. "We were talking about grabbing some ice cream, then riding the Ferris Wheel before heading back to the Quinjet. Does that sound like a good idea?"

Esca glanced at Pietro to see how he would take the news; she was surprised to see he was looking at her. And then he said, "Sure thing, Banner. That sounds like a plan."

"Are you okay with riding the Ferris Wheel?" she questioned.

Pietro nodded resolutely. "I can do that."

"Okay."

And that was all she said on the matter until they were in line for said Ferris Wheel. By the time they were in the line, however, Pietro was looking rather pale again. Esca was dying to figure out how to reassure him that everything would be fine, but she could think of nothing. Still, she had to say something—

"I am absolutely terrified of puppets."

Pietro looked at Esca. "Of… puppets?"

Esca blinked. Everyone was looking at her. "Yes. They're creepy and unnatural and voices should just stay with the people they belong to. I seriously hate puppets. It's called automatonophobia."

The others simply stared at her, as if wondering if she were insane. Pietro, however, seemed to know exactly why she had said this, and he smiled at her.

Wanda noticed too, as of course, she was Pietro's sister and knew everything about him. And so she said, "That's interesting… I really hate toads and frogs. They're slimy and disgusting."

"Spiders," spoke up Pepper with a shudder. "I hate those. They're so gross. They shouldn't have that many legs."

"Anyone else afraid of being isolated?" murmured Natasha, glancing around. "My little imprisonment with Ultron left little to be desired about being imprisoned. It's weird, I know."

James just chuckled. "You think a fear of being isolated is weird? Talk about a fear of ice. That's weird. Not water, not steam—just ice."

"No, you know what's bad?" asked Tony through a mouthful of ice cream. He'd gotten an extra-large scoop because he was Tony Stark and he did what he wanted. "Dolls. Those things are the creepiest little demons throughout the planet. Ugh."

And with that, everyone spoke up about what they were most afraid of. Steve hated snakes, Thor disdained tight spaces, Clint hated clowns, Bruce had angrophobia, Zelda detested failing at things. Only Vision didn't have an abnormally potent fear of anything, seeing as he was an android and did not feel fear the same as everyone else.

Pietro smiled at Esca, as he knew she had started this phobia-fest to make him feel better. And so, he finally admitted, "I'm afraid of heights."

"You are?" asked Tony incredulously. "I… didn't know. Sorry, man."

"No big deal," he replied with a sideways grin. "I still had fun."

With that, everyone was moved onto the Ferris Wheel. As they sat down, Pietro locked his and Esca's pinkie fingers, though the gesture was a little tighter than usual. "Sorry," he murmured. "I just… heights."

"I understand," she murmured, moving to grasp his hand.

The wheel started moving—they started out from the bottom and slowly got to the top. Esca glanced at Pietro to see how he was holding up… he was not looking down, but at her as he tightened his grip on her hand.

"Sorry," he sighed. "I needed something to distract me."

She smiled and replied, "It's fine, Pietro. But it isn't so bad, is it? After all, where else are you going to get a view like this?"

Pietro glanced out for a while and shrugged. "I guess I wouldn't. Except maybe Sokovia."

"How did you hold up on Sokovia, by the way? When it was flying?"

"It wasn't so bad then. I was very distracted, what with those homicidal robots. Plus, there was ground underneath my feet. It's not so much the height that unsettles me… it's looking down and knowing I can fall."

Esca nodded. "I understand. But how are you feeling?"

She heard him inhale slowly before replying, "Good, so far. It's not so bad. Of course, I also have a lovely woman to distract me, so…"

Esca rolled her eyes playfully, but rested her head on his shoulder. "Glad I could help."

"You always help."

She smiled at that; when the ride was over, they got off the Ferris Wheel, and Tony declared that it was time to return to the Quinjet after a long day of amusement park. Hearing this, Pietro grinned evilly and promptly picked Esca up in his arms before shouting back to the others, "Better keep up!"

And he zoomed off, Esca screaming in shock and glee, the others laughing as they watched them go.