Some Things Never Sleep

Chapter Sixteen

Author's Note: So here's the beginning of the Age of Ultron Storyline. It won't last that long so Civil War is just around the corner which means Peter's also just around the corner. Thanks for sticking with me and let me know what you think.

Part II: The Hardest of Hearts

'There is love in your body but you can't get it out'
'It gets stuck in your head, won't come out of your mouth'
'Sticks to your tongue and shows on your face'
'That the sweetest of words have the bitterest taste'

'Darling heart, I loved you from the start'
'But you'll never know what a fool I've been'
'Darling heart, I loved you from the start'
'But that's no excuse for the state I'm in'

-Florence + The Machine

Avengers Tower

Manhattan, New York

2015

"They're almost back." Maria Hill told Emma as the teenager sat in main living room area of the tower. It looked strange since it was so empty. The living room was usually filled with various Avengers but today was an exception. Steve and the others had left for another mission the day before. Apparently they had received information about a secret Hydra base located in Sokovia. Emma thought she might've been to it at one point in her life but she couldn't recall whether or not she had. It had been so long ago.

It seemed to be a regular occurrence over these past few months of Steve and the others leaving to infiltrate Hydra bases and every time Emma grew more and more worried. She hated just sitting there and wondering if Steve was alright. The feeling was beyond frustrating to Emma because she had all of these abilities yet she was as helpless as someone like Darcy or Jane. So she just did as Steve told her and waited. Emma knew that Steve only wanted the best for her but it was still infuriating how he just made her sit home and wait like that when she could do so much more. It had been about a year since she had arrived back at the tower but Emma still felt like Steve was treating her like she was some fragile, delicate flower.

"Any injuries?" Emma asked the dark haired woman. Darcy and Jane had been called away somewhere else temporarily, something about Jane potentially being up for a Nobel piece prize or something. Pepper was back in California tending to important matters regarding Stark Industries. Sam and Rhodey were away as well. Rhodey apparently had plenty of missions as War Machine, ones that were slightly below the Avenger's pay grade. Sam was tracking down a lead on her father but Emma doubted it would amount to anything. While Darcy, Jane, and Pepper weren't likely to come back for another couple of weeks, she knew that Sam and Rhodey were coming back in a couple of days. She had heard that Stark was throwing a party so she assumed that they would be coming back for the party. Since everyone else was currently gone from the tower, Steve had left Maria as her personal babysitter. She could tell that Maria liked the idea about as much as she did.

"Barton got injured. A nasty gash to his side but it's nothing Dr. Cho can't fix." Maria told her. "No other injuries." Emma nodded.

"Was the mission a success?" Maria smiled.

"Yes, we got Loki's scepter. It's secure now." Emma was happy to hear that. Loki's scepter had been the main goal of the missions aside from also hunting down Rumlow or any other Hydra top operatives. Steve and the others had informed Emma that Rumlow was still living even after a helicarrier practically fell on him. It made sense to Emma. Evil bastards like Rumlow always managed to survive. Unfortunately Rumlow had been able to escape from the hospital he had been kept in and no one knew of his whereabouts since then. It made Emma feel uneasy not knowing where he was since he could come popping up at anytime but Emma felt as though she was prepared for him. If he came looking for her then he would regret it. Emma might just forget about the promise she made to herself that she would never kill another person.