Because He Loves Me

Chapter 15: Luxury Pays a Price

19 days until KCM

Russia

Kassidy had been at her training for four days, and was extremely sore. The third day was a survival workout for nearly ten hours straight, and two girls had been asking for death after. Kassidy couldn't understand why, it was exhausting but not torture. But the trainers had what they called "mercy", and they obliged to the girls' wishes. Those girls had been at the center for two years. 

Kassidy had never been scared before. Not of spiders, sharks, thunderstorms. Nothing. Not even as a child, she wasn't afraid of the darkness. But the idea that she would be kept here for years? Kassidy knew it would never happen, but the thought of it make her sick. The trainer, Sergei, had neglected to test Kassidy yet. All she wanted was to finish the testing and go home. But Sergei was convinced that a week of being kept in the center was necessary before testing could even begin. 

Three days in....four days in.....five days.....the days dragged on. Kassidy had the luxury of knowing when she would be released, it couldn't be more than three weeks. But to never know when you would be released from such a place as that? It was agonizing. 

14 days until KCM

Stark Tower, New York

Peter was staring at his computer, pretending to be doing homework. In reality, he was barely looking at the screen. He had been calling Kassidy for the past three days. Between classes, before school, at night, the second school let out, even in the nighttime when his phone was supposed to be downstairs with Pepper. Finally, just as Peter was about to fall asleep at his computer, his phone vibrated. Kassidy. Peter picked up the phone before the first ring was even finished. 

"Hello? Hi, hey, Kassidy!!" Peter said excitedly. 

"Hey Peter, rough day of training, sorry, haven't been able to get to my phone. Natasha took it away for three days because I got in trouble that first time I picked up." Kassidy said. Guilt crept onto Peter. 

"Oh...sorry, that must suck." he said. 

"Yeah, sort of." Kassidy said. Peter could hear the shrug in her voice. "I wouldn't be able to be on it that much anyway, and it's not like they have power outlets here, we're literally in the middle of nowhere." 

"So you have today off?" Peter asked hopefully. Kassidy laughed dryly. 

"No, I'm on break." she said. 

"Oh, a one minute break?" 

"Nope, I have fifteen minutes." Kassidy replied. Peter smiled, then returned to his interrogation. 

"Has anyone hurt you?" Peter asked. Peter could sense her shaking her head. 

"No. I almost got shot in my leg, but they missed me. I've tried not to talk, it's my mouth that gets me in trouble in New York. It's sort of working, they've left me alone for the most part." Kassidy said. "Can I talk to the Dream Team?" Kassidy's pet name for the Avengers was 'the Dream Team', which she called them sarcastically the first time Tony told her about them. It stuck, and Kassidy called them that now. 

"Sure, who first?" Peter asked. 

"Hmm...Iron Man." Kassidy replied. Peter smiled, Kassidy was asking to talk to their dad. 

"One sec..." Peter said, running out of the kitchen and shoving the phone to Tony's ear in the sitting room. 

"What? Peter who's- oh hey Kassidy! How's training?" Tony asked. Peter heard a muffled response. "That's good, that's good." Tony pulled the phone from his ear and put it on speaker, since Pepper had walked in. "Anything try to hurt you?" 

"No." Kassidy said resolutely. 

"Kassidy, you told me you got shot in the leg?" Peter said, confused. Then he heard rustling through the phone, then; 

"PETER!" came Kassidy's annoyed voice. 

"You weren't going to tell us that you got shot in the leg?!" Pepper exclaimed. 

"First of all, Peter, I told you I almost got shot in the leg, they missed me. Secondly, of course I wasn't going to tell you guys, you'd freak out. But I'm fine." Kassidy snapped. 

"Mmhm." Tony said. "Put Natasha on." There was some more rustling. Then Natasha spoke. 

"Hi." she said. 

"Hi Nat, how's Kassidy?" Tony asked. 

"She hit her arm on a blunt knife, it's a little cut but the doctor said she was fine." Nat replied. "She almost got shot in the leg, but she dodged it her reflexes are insane." 

"Okay. Well she lied to us about not being hurt. She told peter about the shooting but then lied to Pepper and I about it, but she didn't tell either of us about the knife." Tony said. Nat sighed. 

"Well she said she didn't want you to panic." Nat said. 

"Well now I am because I can't trust her!" Tony said. "Look, Nat, I know you didn't sign up for this, but Kassidy is lying to us and it's really important that she doesn't anymore." Tony said. 

"What do you want me to do, Tony?" Nat asked, seeming to know perfectly well what Tony wanted her to do. 

"I want you to spank her, Nat.' Tony replied. There was silence. 

"That's a little out of my job description." Nat said. 

"Please Nat, I don't want to do it when she comes home and she needs discipline now." Tony said. Nat knew there was no way out. 

"Fine. I'll keep you posted." Nat said irritated. 

"Thanks, Nat." Tony said. 

There was some noise, then the family heard Kassidys voice saying, "You're going to what me?" Before the call ended and they couldn't hear anything else. 

"Dad....you don't feel even remotely bad for telling Nat to spank Kassidy?" Peter asked. 

"Of course I feel bad, Peter. I hate disciplining you and your sister, even if it's just telling someone else to do it." Tony said, pulling Peter closer into a side hug. "You're my babies, I don't like hurting you." Peter blushed at Tony calling him his "baby", but he hugged Tony back.