21. Questions





Becca looked out the window silently as Happy drove the two of them to where Peter had asked Happy to take his girlfriend. She was back in Queens, back home in America. The very same country that had driven her family out. But her family wanted her where she would be happy, and her heart needed to be home. Home with Peter. She couldn't stop herself as she looked at the night sky of Queens, remembering the times she would be in Peter's arms as they swung through the city, high in the sky above all the problems and worries that would follow them. She missed that simpler time, she knew there would be days where she would long for it again. She had just gotten comfortable in her lifestyle as Sofia Rogers. And now she life had been uprooted by the events of her family's civil war. The Accords had torn her family in two. Neither side was apologizing either which made her nervous about when she would need to talk to her brother.

Peter had a surprise waiting for her at the location he was at. Happy would've preferred taking his boss's sister to the compound, but that wasn't what she needed. The wounds of what happened in Germany and in Siberia were still fresh. They were still healing, and that meant time apart. Four weeks had passed since T'Challa had taken in the Rogers/Barnes family and their comrades.

Becca was still upset with Peter over what happened on the tarmac back in Germany, but she also missed being in his arms and knowing she was safe there. She knew they'd need to talk about what had transpired after her godmother's funeral, and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that.

The teenager looks down at her wrist, the Kimoyo beads glow softly for a moment, causing her to smile. She contemplates if she should contact her mother or uncle, but she figured they were busy, her uncle away on missions and her mother now had Advisory duties to attend to. She didn't want to bother them which only made her feel more lonely. She had wanted to stay with her family in Wakanda, but her parents wanted her to continue to try live a normal life, but now that the world knew she existed, her life would be anything but normal.

"Alright, Miss B." Happy states, pulling up to the location she had given him and prying Becca from her thoughts. She looks up at the building to her right.

"I know this building." She mutters, smiling softly as she pushes the few strands of hair that had fallen out of her plait around her face. "Harry lives here."

"Osborn?"

The teenager nods, "Mhmm. I haven't been here since the party he threw four months ago." She mutters, "I wonder why Benji wanted me to meet him here?"

"You won't know unless you go inside." Happy states, smiling softly at the girl. "I'll let Mr. Stark know you're here, safe. He'd like you to call him when you have the chance." She hesitates, nervous about talking to her brother who only weeks ago was hellbent on killing her father. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea for the two fo them to speak to each other right now. "He just wants to make sure you're okay." Happy adds, hoping that'll make it easier for her to want to call her brother.

Becca nods slowly, grabbing her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder as she steps out of the car, "I'll think about it, okay? And thank you, Happy. I've missed you."

The bodyguard/driver smiles at the young girl, "I've missed you too, Miss B." He states, "I'll see you around though, don't you worry." He says as he watches her smile, turning around and walking into the lobby of the building Harry lived in.

She wasn't sure why Peter asked her to come here of all places, she really just wanted to be home with Aunt May and him, sitting on the couch watching a movie that Peter knew all the words too but she had never seen it before. Before the whole mess of the Accords, the couple had talked at length about having a Back to the Future trilogy marathon.

It doesn't take long for the elevators to part as she enters Harry's penthouse. "Benji?" She calls out nervously, the entry room was lit well enough in the dark of the city night but she didn't want to be alone. Not when she had her family back, more than anything wanting to be with them rather than apart from them.

Her ears pick up footsteps and it doesn't take long for her blue eyes to meet the brown ones of her beloved webslinger. The two hadn't seen each other in person since the fight on the Tarmac. There was still unspoken tension between the two that needed to be aired. But that would have to wait for another day.

"Fia." Peter breathes out, a small but nervous smile on his lips. He was in his Midtown shirt and grey pajama pants. She didn't expect him to be in pajamas, she felt self conscious enough as it is about being back and not having to lie to anyone anymore about who she was, who her family is. The two simply stare at each other before Becca decides to overcome her bitter emotions towards the boy in front of her and accept that she felt like a piece of her was missing when she wasn't with him.

She drops her backpack on the marble flooring and the two run to each other and meet halfway, Peter wrapping his arms around Becca's waist almost instantly, because to both of them, that's where she belonged. In his arms. Her own arms found their way into his curls as he lifted her into the air, her feet not touching the ground as he shifted his footing. He was certainly strong enough to hold her for however long she wanted but he knew that someone could walk in at any moment. Her feet touch the ground slowly and the two teenagers don't speak as they look at each other, their eyes locking together.

"No more fighting." Becca mumbles, they still needed to talk about what happened, that much she was positive of. They both were aware of that. But they needed to be with each other. And they needed to know that neither of them were still angry at the other. "Please. I don't think i can go through that again. Seeing you on the opposing team.. knowing i would have to fight you if i wanted to help my family. Don't make me choose again. I can't bare that a second time when i could hardly bare it the first time."

Peter's heart hurt when he saw the tears fall from her eyes slowly. He holds her tightly with his left arm as his right hand sneaks up to cup her cheek, his thumb wiping the stray tears away. "Never again." He vows, and she knows he means it. Neither of them can bare fighting each other again. It was unbearable the first time. "I don't want you hurting like that. Knowing i caused you that pain." He says softly, his eyes never leaving hers. "I watched you on the news when you were captured with your parents and uncles." He tells her, "It felt as if i was suffocating watching those German forces cuff you like that, treating you like you were a criminal that needed to be locked away and chained." He pauses, Becca had a feeling she knew what he was going to say next. And the memories were flooding her mind, the muzzle. How it resurfaced old memories of the Red Room, the torture it ensured when it was bound over her mouth.

"Don't say anything more." She mumbles, placing her fingers on his lips, "I know." She mutters quietly, "I never thought that'd happen again." She tells him, "The memories of the Red Room wouldn't stop when they muzzled me. It was too much."

It takes everything inside of Peter to not ask her more about what memories she was talking about, but he wasn't going to pry. He never had before so why start now. If she wanted to tell him, she would in her own time. All he wants to do right now is hold her tightly in his arms. But he has a surprise for her waiting in Harry's viewing room.

"I don't want our reunion tainted by what happened." Peter tells her, and she nods slowly, agreeing with him. "Come with me, i want to show you something." He says as he begins to lead the way to the viewing room. He places his hand on the small of Becca's back, needing that reassurance that she was really there with him. That there were no more threats that loomed in the corners for them.

He sneaks his other hand around his back, his middle finger and ring finger pressing down on his webshooter that he had attached to his wrist, the web shoots out and attaches itself to Becca's backpack, he quickly pulls on the web and the backpack flies into his hand. Becca looks up at him then at the hand not on her back. Her eyes narrow teasingly and he only chuckles, shrugging. He quickly removes his webshooter and puts it in her backpack as they enter the room.

It's dark, and it takes Becca a few seconds for her enhanced vision to adjust to see in the darkness. And what catches her attention isn't something she thought was going to happen after everything that had transpired in Europe.

"Can she see us with her super vision?" Becca hears Ned whisper and then she hears him again, "Ow!"

"Would you shut up, Ned? She can hear us too, you idiot." She hears Harry and it causes her to break out into laughter.

"She could do that before, guys." MJ states and Becca can see both boys turn to each other in embarrassment.

"Oh yeah." They murmur at the same time.

Peter adjusts the lights to the second lowest setting on the dial switch as he sets Becca's backpack down beside the others. "We promised a sleepover when you came back." Peter reminds his girlfriend, smiling softly as he walks over to one of the many movie recliner chairs in the viewing room and holds out Becca's favorite pajamas. A red henley shirt that was the size her father wore, and her cotton pink plaid pajama shorts. Her eyes beamed in happiness as her mind slowly registered what was happening. Her eyes glanced behind her boyfriend, seeing the blanket her brother had bought for her with Captain America, Iron Man and Thor on it. That blanket had become her favorite to sleep under and just feel at ease.

Becca chuckles, smiling at them, "Really?" She asks. She looked around and noticed it was only the five of them. Michelle was missing. She remembered Peter telling her over their video call that she had split from the group of friends when they found out Becca had lied about who she truly was.

The all look at each other, then back at their friend who still stood in the doorway, all nodding, "You're our friend, Sof- or Becca.." MJ says, she was nervous about what to call Becca now that she knew who she was. They all were. They didn't want to offend their friend in any way, especially not after what she had just went through.

Becca hesitates, "You can still call me Sofia.." She says, "I don't mind. Or you can call me Becca." She tells them with a nervous chuckle, Peter can sense she was still nervous about everything so he handed her the pajamas and wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her close to him and she leans into him, her hand resting on his chest. "I know you guys probably have a lot of questions as well."

Ned nods, "Yeah, but that can wait until you get comfy in your PJs." He says with a small smile, "And i think i'll call you Sofia, i'm used to calling you that.." he says softly, looking up at her, "That okay?"

Becca nods, smiling back at him, "More than okay. It is my middle name after all. Mama was called by hers when she was Elizabeth Bryne." She states, then widens her blue eyes, her hand covering her mouth, now that the world knew all the secrets, she didn't have to lie, but she also didn't expect herself to say something that was a secret so quickly.

"That's gonna take some getting used too." Harry mutters, rubbing the back of his neck, but smiling up at Becca as MJ sat in his lap, her legs over his and her head rested on his shoulder. "But don't feel like you have to hide anything from us. It's all out in the open now, so don't keep it in."

Peter smiles in thanks towards Harry, then motions for Becca to go get changed in the half bathroom connected to the viewing room, "I'll have popcorn for us when you come out." He tells her and the teenage girl smiles in thanks, nodding as she steps into the bathroom, closing the door. Peter watches as the light flicks on before he makes his way to where he was sitting before she arrived.

"How're you handling it?" MJ asks Peter curiously. They were all curious as to how Peter was handling it, he had known longer than anyone in the group, but now that everyone knew, people at school had been bombing him with questions. He never answered them though, people on the street as well, he could hear them talking about Becca and her family when he would walk Queens or anywhere else he was.

Peter shrugs, then sighs as he stands up and walks over to the popcorn maker, scooping popcorn into two bags, "It'll be different with her coming back to Midtown.. that's for sure." He says truthfully, they all knew that. "I don't know how she'll handle the crowds and such, so that worries me. But Mr. Stark has contacted Aunt May about how best to keep her safe."

Harry nods, "Well, we'll help her, Pete." He reassures his friend, all three of them were going to do their best to help Becca adjust as best she could. They wanted her to feel safe, because she never had lied to them about her past, she truly was locked up all her life in Russia. They had seen on the news when the Rogers/Barnes family secrets had been exposed how they treated Becca. The exact same has her father.

"You're still thinking about it, aren't you." Ned asks, looking at Peter who was absentmindedly picking out popcorn from his small bag, "About the you know.."

"Of course i am!" Peter shouts, setting the popcorn down and leaning forward, his elbows on his knees with his head in his hands, "They muzzled her all because she was screaming for her parents, her uncles to help her. And the one, the one uncle that could, did nothing." He snaps, Peter wasn't sure he'd ever let those emotions leave him, the anger he felt was something he had only felt once before. When Sinclair had commanded Becca to kill Uncle Ben. "I just wanted to hold her, to tell her it would be okay. But i couldn't. And it kills me every time I think about it."

The bathroom door slowly creaks open as Becca steps out, freshly changed into her pajamas, her legs were still bruised in certain areas that drew her friends's eyes. She was a super soldier, but her body was still that of a teenager, her uncle and father would have deep bruises and cuts for two weeks, for her, it would take up to four or five to disappear.

"I won't defend Uncle Rhodey." Becca mumbles as she grabs her blanket, "I love him but i can't forgive him." She adds, "He was blind by his duty to follow orders by those in higher positions in government. At one point, Uncle Steve was the same." She comments. She moves to sit in Peter's lap, they both needed physical contact from not only being apart for a long time, but from what they both went through on the tarmac. Peter took the blanket from her arms and wrapped it around her legs, not wanting to see the bruises that he and her other family members had inflicted on her.

"But we can be mad at him right?" Ned asks curiously.

Becca nods, "Sure. I am." She says, "So is Mama, Papa and Uncle Steve. I think even Buddy is a little bit mad at him."

"Good, cause I like War Machine, but that wasn't cool." Ned responds, popping a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth.

"Your dad.. how is he?" MJ asks, "I know the news exaggerates a lot, especially with certain people.. is what they say about him true?"

Becca looks up at MJ, snacking on her popcorn Peter had given her as he tightens his arms around her, holding her close. "You mean is my Papa really a former Hydra Assassin?" She asks, MJ nods cautiously, "Yes, he is. He even trained me when he was still under them when I was in Russia." Becca answers, "I was in the Red Room from when I was five in 1950 to 2014." She explains.

"The Red Room, like where Black Widow came from?" Ned asks.

The teenager in question nods, "I'm pretty sure i met her when she was there in the 70's until she graduated." She answers, "I looked too young to graduate. My body hadn't developed properly because of my mother's serum Schimdt gave her." She explains, "I looked seven for seventy years."

All Peter does is listen, he had known bits and pieces from when Becca had opened up about, he had seen her some nights handcuffing her wrist to her bedframe. It killed him inside to know she went through so many years of pain and torture.

"What changed your body chemistry then?" Harry asks.

"The super soldier serum." Becca answers, "It was injected into my body in 2014, it somehow aged my body to that of a fourteen year old, I've been aging as I should be ever since."

"You didn't already have the serum in you?" Ned asks curiously, "You Dad has it though in his body, if we're getting scientific, wouldn't it pass down to you and any siblings?" He expanded on his question, Becca often forgot Ned was more than just his love of Star Wars and Superheroes. He was smart when he wanted to be and it always made Becca smile when he'd use his knowledge.

Becca shakes her head, "I was conceived in the French Alps of 1945." She explains, "Mama and Papa had been married for three months when they found out. Pape fell off the train the day she told him about me." She mumbles. "Now Winnie possibly would've been different.. she was conceived in 2014."

Peter nods, "But your family never got to find out." He adds softly, his girlfriend nodding in agreement. The three friends glance at each other then look at the couple in front of them.

"Winnie?" MJ asks softly. "You're saying you have a sister, Becca?" She asks, using her friend's name for the first time, it felt weird, but it felt right at the same time for the two girls.

Becca nods, "Mhm. Sarah Winnifred Barnes, born January second, 2015." She mutters, smiling softly, "I never got to meet her."

"Don't you get to now though? Where is she?" Harry asks.

"Green-Wood Cemetery." Becca answers, "Brooklyn, New York."

"You mean.."

"Winnie's dead?" Ned finishes MJ's question, the redhead in too much shock to finish her question. All three friends were stunned.

"She was born a stillborn. Papa never got to meet her either." Becca says softly, "Mama says she was a blonde though, like Uncle Steve and my grandmother."

"I'm so sorry." Harry says, feeling guilty for asking about Becca's sister.

Becca shakes her head, "That's in the past, Winnie's always here with me i think, looking out for me. But I'll be a big sister again in some months."

"Your mom's pregnant?" Ned asks. "When was there even time!"

"Ned!" MJ shouts back, smacking her friend with a pillow.

Becca giggles, leaning into her boyfriend, "After we broke out of the german forces, just before the tarmac fight." She says, "Mama and Papa were alone for a few hours. Uncle Sam won't let them live it down now." She explains, "Next thing i know, I'm being told by my Mama that i'm going to be a big sister again."

"How did they find out so early?" Harry asks, "Normally a woman can't find out until weeks later."

Becca chuckles as she glances over her Kimoyo beads, wondering if she should call her mother or not, "Where my parents are now is highly advanced in technology and sciences." She explains, holding up her beads, shaking them slightly, watching them glow briefly.

"Can you tell us where?" MJ asks curiously.

Becca hesitates, "I can, but you can't tell anyone." She states, "They're in hiding because of the Accords." Becca explains and her friends all nod in agreement, "Mama's in Wakanda, she's the Advisor to King T'Challa." She says with a small smile.

"Your mom is so cool!" Ned shouts in excitement, "But i thought Wakanda was a third world country.."

"That's all a front so people don't try and steal what they have, people have tried for years, decades." Becca explains, chuckling at Ned's initial comment. "Uncle Howie got out of Wakanda with only enough to make Uncle Steve's shield." She expands.

Few hours later and the five teenagers settle in after the questions they had asked Becca had been exhausted. Peter had promised Becca they would watch Back to the Future before the Accords and he kept his promise. When the credits of the second movie begin to roll, Peter shifts in the reclined theater chair as Becca rests her head on his shoulder, her hand going to his chest and her leg over his own leg. He wraps his arms around her as he hears her heartbeat. He had missed his sensory focus, he struggled to wake up properly the days she was gone.

"You tired?" Peter asks Becca quietly as he watches her eyes droop closed. He felt her nod on his shoulder and a hum in answer as he chuckled softly. He pulls her blanket past her shoulders, covering the two of them. He places his lips on her forehead, "Sleep then, you're safe." He tells her, "I won't ever let you go." He adds as he watches Becca's eyes finally close for good as her breathing evens out and he knows she's asleep





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