"Touch my queen and I shall ensure that it's the last thing you do."

  The next day was just the same as the last for Harper : reporters and photographs, whether they were in front of her house or at school, didn't seem to let this story go. She spent the whole day with Peter and their friends. M.J. and Harper had grown a lot closer : female company couldn't be bad. Moreover, they were both planning to have some fun with Harper's new status. That day they freaked out a senior who had tried to get access to information about Iron Man. Cherry on top : they'd managed to make Flash scream like a four-year-old. At lunch-time, the four friends gathered and for the first time, their table was the centre of attention. The only ones whose behaviour hadn't changed when it came to Harper were the teachers ; Harper was more than thankful. They were eating without caring about all those eyes on them, all while making fun of the situation when a guy approached them. He was a senior and looked quite good whit his well styled blond hair. He was quite athletic and wore glasses with trendy frames along with a fancy sweater. He stopped next to them and introduced himself to Harper, completely out of the blue.

  "Harper, right ? My name's Grayson," he said as he put on a charming smile.

  "Nice to meet you, Grayson," she answered, confused.

  "I saw you earlier in the gym and I thought that we could go out, sometime."

  Harper almost spat the water she'd just drank ; M.J. tried not to laugh  ; Ned opened his eyes wide ; as to Peter...

  "Look, Grayson, I'll have to turn down your offer."

  "Really ? You know, you're missing out on an unforgettable night," he said with a grin.

  Peter couldn't take it anymore. He gathered his courage and placed his hand on Harper's thigh, making sure that Grayson could see everything. He locked eyes with him as he arched his brow.

  "Oh, I see," he said disdainfully. "Too bad you don't know what you're worth."

  "Much more than you, I'm sure," she answered without missing a beat. 

  The boy stepped back, swallowed his pride and rejoined his friends who were already laughing.

  "Hey !" M.J. called him out. "I think you dropped something !"

  Poor kid fell for it and turned around, looking upset.

  "What ?"

  "Your dignity."

  His friends laughed even louder. Harper could hear one of them let out a "Buuuuurn !" followed by a string of laughter. She hoped he would learn his lesson. As she focused on her meal again, she noticed Peter's hand hadn't moved. He seemed to notice too because he removed it slowly. Harper affectionately put her hand on his, under the table, and intertwined their fingers.

  "Anyway, anyone noticed Peter's sudden rush of testosterone over her ?" M.J. asked.

  Peter rolled his eyes.

  "I wasn't going to let that idiot hit on her right in front of me," he mumbled.

  "I could've turned him down on my own but thanks," the redhead joked.

  She kissed him on the cheek and smiled.

  "Thank god you're not the jealous type," she noted on a sarcastic tone.

  "I'm not jealous."

  "Right, and I'm Captain America's daughter."

  Her joke made all four of them laugh and they finished their lunch without any other inconvenience. It was time to go back to class, now, but Harper had other plans. Once they were in the hallway, lost in the crowd, no one would even see them leave. In front of the janitor room, Harper pushed Peter aside and drew him in there.

  "What are you doing ?" he asked, laughing as she locked the door.

  "I'm buying us some time far from everyone's eyes. I feel like we don't have any second to ourselves here !"

  Peter looked at her and smiled, not far from laughing. Harper shook her head before she placed her arms around his neck. With a mischievous grin, she let her fingers run through his hair. Peter pressed his forehead against hers after he set one string of her red hair aside.

  "You're beautiful."

  "You think so ?" she wondered as she felt her cheeks blushing.

  "Think what ?"

  "Well, what you just said," she explained with her brows furrowed.

  "I didn't say anything."

  She pulled away from him and looked at him in wonder.

  "I could've sworn... You said 'You're beautiful' so I..."

  "Harper, I didn't say that."

  "My mistake."

  "No, I mean...I thought it."

  They looked at each other and kind of started freaking out.

  "What the... Think that again."

  "You're amazing."

  "Awww..." She forgot about their problem for a minute. "You're adorable."

  She kissed him softly.

  "But still, this is weird. I gotta tell my dad."

  "Yeah, sure. I'll come with you after class."

  "No, we need to go now."

  "Are you sure about this ?"

  "Yeah. We're gonna go by the back of the building. There's an emergency exit there."

  She was about to leave the room but Peter caught her hand and drew her against him in a swift and confident gesture.

  "Wait a second."

  He pressed his lips against hers and gave her a gentle kiss. She couldn't help but smile between two kisses and when she opened her eyes, her cheeks were still red. This time they left the room for good and sneaked through the hallways. Peter looked at his phone : Ned was asking where he was. He sent him a brief answer to reassure him before he got out. They walked through fields and even a few gardens, being extra careful not to be seen. When they arrived at Harper's house, she knocked on the back door, the one that led to the kitchen. Pepper opened it, surprised to see them both so soon.

  "What are you doing here, you two ?"

  "We need to talk to Dad."

  "Did something happen ?"

  "I think Smith didn't simply gave me the power of controlling fire, Mom. Earlier we were..."

  She caught herself right on time and followed up with the next sentence right away.

  "I could hear what Peter was thinking."

  "I see. You need to tell him, you're right. He's in his office and I have no idea when he's getting out. Just wait in your room. I'll tell him you're here."

  Harper listened to her mother and sat on her bed, her head full of questions about her origins.

  "Are you okay ?" Peter asked as he ran a hand through her hair.

  "I don't know, I... I don't understand what's going on," she said, feeling overwhelmed.

  "Hey, we're gonna find out what this is, okay ?" Peter tried to comfort her and held her against him. "I won't let that Smith guy upset you anymore."

  Suddenly, Harper felt her head spinning. She let out a cry of pain.

  "Harper, hey, what's going on !"

  "It's happening again !" she cried as she held her head between her hands.

  She didn't have the time to hear Peter's words. She was now in a building that she could recognise. Peter was there too, hurt, bleeding profusely. In front of her was Smith. Flames. The next image horrified her : the old man's body, suddenly so vulnerable, was lying down at her feet. His burnt skin reminded her that she was the one who had done this. His disarticulated limbs showed her how much of a monster she was.

  "Harper !"

  Strong arms lifted her from the ground and she could hear Peter screaming her name behind her. Whose arms were these ? Was she still stuck in her memories or was it real ? She couldn't distinguish true from false. She felt cold metal under her back while she was convulsing and shaking.

  "Harper, listen to me."

  This feminine voice was much familiar to her.

  "Harper, sweetie," Pepper repeated. "Calm down. Breathe."

  She was injected with an unknown substance in her arm despite Tony's protestations. Seeing his daughter like this made him freak out. After the shot Harper calmed down almost instantly. Afterwards, everything turned to black.