Upstate New York, USA

Summer 2015

With a tap, Nina had disconnected the call. Well, it was a relief to hear from her mom. But she wasn't quite sure how she'd felt about the change of plans Nadine had called to tell her about. She was anxious for her mom to come back. For oh so many reasons.

The main one being that she felt awful about shutting her out the way she had.

And that she'd let her leave without really trying to patch things up.

That she'd been upset, mad even, with her mom was no surprise. Nadine hadn't seemed surprised by it. Sad perhaps, but not surprised or even disappointed. Neither had Natasha, the Twins or even Captain Rogers. Unsurprisingly, even once he'd heard it all, even though he—begrudgingly—understood as Nina did, Pietro had seethed on her behalf once she'd finally calmed enough to be able to relate what her mom had told her, needing both Nina and Wanda to talk him out of confronting Nadine himself. Wanda had been sadly sympathetic, confirming in Nina's mind that the Sokovian girl had picked up on at least a little of what Nina had learned already from Nina, Nadine or both.

Nina, though, hadn't been entirely sure what to think or feel. She still didn't. It was for that reason more than resentment or anger that had her keeping her distance from her mom the last couple weeks. Oh, she was angry and resentful as well, but it was tempered by the inescapable realization that her mom had been cornered and that her reasons for keeping the secrets she did had been good ones. Much as part of Nina stubbornly didn't want to see Nadine's side of it, she had come to understand that Nadine had had few options and fewer good ones. She had kept Nina safe for nearly eighteen years because of the secrets she'd kept. Because of everything she'd done. Had they not been betrayed?

But that line of thought always brought a renewed yet different brand of resentment. Had they not been betrayed? Had Nina not been kidnapped and dragged into her mom's world? Would Nadine have ever told her the truth?

Nina didn't know. She wanted to believe she would have, that Nadine would have told her everything—or at least started—once she'd turned eighteen as Nadine had admitted had been her plan. But there was no knowing now. Nina knew the truth, or at least most of it, and Nadine had been the one to tell her for the most part. But she hadn't been the one to get the ball rolling, as it were. So part of her still wanted to ask, just so she could try and discern if Nadine would have. That and there was still a lot she wanted to ask about the rest of it.

But she simply had too many questions. Whenever she so much thought about bringing even one of them to her mom, the rest would crowd up to the front of her mind, causing her head to ache and her thoughts to jumble. Not to mention her powers would begin to build in her chest in reaction to her stress, requiring her to turn her attention to consciously reining them back; that she was getting better at doing so was one positive to the situation at least.

Rather, Nina had a strong suspicion that her mom wouldn't answer a good portion of her questions even if she were able to get them out. Oh, she'd likely be honest about it. Surprisingly, after learning just how extensively their lives had been built on secrets and how much Nadine had kept from her, Nina didn't doubt that. She very much suspected that her mom had turned over a new leaf since Sokovia and was resolved not to hide herself away behind her Ghost persona or what Nina now realized was her 'ballet mistress' one. Nadine was actually letting herself be Nadine. Not that she was always successful, but she was obviously trying.

More than that, she seemed visibly liberated by the decision. Nina was beginning to see a whole new side of her mom that she had never even suspected existed. And one effect of that shift had been an openness to Nadine that Nina was still getting used to. So the knowledge that Nadine wouldn't brush aside or deflect her questions was something else Nina suddenly didn't doubt; Nadine wanted to be honest with her. It meant that, were Nina to ask the questions she wanted to, Nadine would be frank about not being able to answer. She would be blunt yet apologetic and tell Nina the answer was too dangerous or that it wasn't the right time.

That she wasn't ready to hear it.

Nina resented that particular line of reasoning.

She wasn't a child anymore. She wasn't so naïve as she had been even a few weeks ago. She supposed she still was on some level, but she'd been thrown into this world of Avengers and Enhancements and Supervillains headfirst and she had come out the other side stronger for it. She just knew it. Perhaps it hadn't been as wholly on her own merits as it could've been, but she had still survived. More than survived, really. She had proven that there was more to her than met the eye...right? She had survived the Sceptre, Ultron and even a rain of bullets all on her own. She'd fought back against Strucker's mercenaries and had stood up to Ultron's sentries, even helping Captain America in the process. She'd fought past her own fears, letting her instincts to step up and help—to even fight—take the lead. That all had to count for something, right?

Instead she'd been left behind again to wait for her mom to come back just as she had a hundred times before. Another point for resentment, really. She wanted to help! She wanted to be a part of what was happening.

Especially since she suspected she somehow had a stake in whatever her mom had left to do.

The situation was somewhat familiar. Her mom had gone off on some sort of mission and Nina was left waiting for her to return. Somewhat anxiously. No...not somewhat. Quite anxiously.

Whenever her mom had gone off for work, part of Nina had always worried—with good reason, it seemed. But now that she undeniably knew that her mom's trips weren't so innocuous as an errand for the Studio, but rather a mission in her capacity as The Ghost? Nina's gut churned and ached and she was on the verge of nibbling at her nails again; a nervous habit she had broken herself of years ago.

That was how anxious she was.

Especially after everything that had happened last time her mom had gone off.

But her mom wasn't alone this time, Nina forcefully reminded herself. Natasha had gone with her. It helped ease the crushing worry some even if it didn't banish it completely.

And it seemed that Wanda had gone too. According to Pietro, Natasha had approached his twin about helping them on their mission. How, he hadn't said. All he'd known was that Wanda had agreed.

It left a shard of jealousy festering alongside her worry.

Why hadn't they asked her along too? A small, little voice declared it was because she'd have been along only to watch, so what would've been the point. She tried to ignore it. She was sure she would've been able to help somehow.

It was all very unpleasant.

And irritating. Could they really think she was incapable of handling herself? She was beginning to feel physically ill at only being allowed to sit and wait and watch and worry while those she cared about went off and did dangerous things, necessary or not.

Without realizing it, she huffed out her irritation as she sank further into her seat on the couch. The Avengers' common area was mercifully empty. As much as she wouldn't necessarily mind some company, she wasn't exactly sure anyone else would be okay with just letting her sit with her own thoughts. Save Natasha. Natasha was good for that. The redheaded spy always seemed to know exactly what Nina needed most, be it an ear to listen or just the company. But Natasha was away. With her mother. On a mission that Nina was wishing she was a part of. Or at the very least, that she knew what it was about. She was sure she could live with even that.

"Unlike my sister, I cannot read minds. So you will have to tell me what is bothering you." Nina spun to look at Pietro as he leaned over the back of the couch, his voice startling her abruptly from her thoughts. She merely shot him an exasperated look in response. An amused chuckle escaped him before he hopped lightly over the couch back to flop down next to her with his characteristic easy grace. She narrowed her eyes at him at the move, earning only a smug look. Despite herself, Nina couldn't help but grin, her ire fading. He was another one whose easy company she could handle. It wasn't often that he pushed, but when he did, it was usually because he could seem to tell she needed to talk.

Just like after her mom had told her everything.

"It's nothing," she automatically insisted, barely realizing the words left her mouth. His skeptical look was all the admonishment he needed to give. Nina's nose wrinkled with exasperation as she met his eye. "You know, half the time Wanda can't read me anymore, either," she pointed out. He merely shrugged.

"All the more reason for you to say it out loud," he countered easily before smirking, "and you're deflecting." She huffed. It had been worth a try. Her arms wound tighter around her torso as everything she'd been dwelling on came back. Only for her thoughts to jerk free again as she was tucked tightly against Pietro's side, his arm curling around her shoulders. She sighed, the gesture more comforting than she'd expected given her state of mind. Not that it completely banished her unease and her resentment.

"They left me behind," she finally said, part of her reluctant to share it even though the words had nearly spilled out of their own will. She felt more than heard Pietro's stifled sigh.

"I know the feeling," he said, sounding grumpy about it. She couldn't help but grin. She had suspected he felt the same way. Pietro wasn't one to sit still, after all. More than that, Wanda had gone with. And Nina could see how antsy it made Pietro to be separated from her for too long. He'd been moving almost constantly since they'd left, unable to sit still. Even now, his knee was jiggling, the movement unconscious and impatient.

But his body was technically still healing. While Dr. Cho had said he was almost as good as new thanks to his treatments with her Cradle device, she had all but forbidden him from doing anything too exerting for the next two weeks. "The damage was extensive, after all, and while the Cradle can perform virtual miracles," Pietro had quoted the doctor the day she'd explained it to him, his annoyance clear in his voice and poor imitation, "your body still needs to stabilize and finish integrating the new tissue to finish healing completely." Too much strain, and he risked his body rejecting the still fragile repaired and printed tissue. Especially the internal repairs. So begrudgingly, he was following the doctor's orders. To some extent. Nina was pretty sure he was stretching his legs a little more everyday, working himself back up to his former speeds as gradually as his impulsive nature would allow.

"I want to do something." He was still obviously chafing against being grounded the way Nina was. She sighed. It wasn't just something she wanted to do.

"I wanted to go with them," she confessed softly. He looked down at her then, and she could swear she felt his sympathy without even having to look up and see it in his face. "They brought Wanda, but not me, and it's my mom and aunt."

"I know," he murmured, his arm tightening around her shoulders. "But she needed it more than we do. I just don't want to sit around," he admitted bluntly, "you don't want to be left in the dark again. Wanda? She...she needed to get out of her own head, and talking about it wasn't enough anymore." She hummed absently at the observation, sinking into thought again as she nestled closer, enjoying the feel of his warmth. The solid feel of him next to her. It was reassuring. Grounding. As was the knowledge that she believed he really did know how she felt. At the very least, he respected it enough to accept it. And as his frank words sank in, part of her had to cede that he was right about all three of them. Especially about Wanda, that she needed a mission. That it would be good for her. Everything that had happened had been weighing heavily on the Sokovian girl.

Given how wonderful the Twins had been in letting her simply talk about everything weighing on her, Nina had been more than happy to do the same for the Twins, something Wanda had been reluctant to take advantage of at first. But open up she had, and Nina had done her utmost to be as supportive as the older girl had needed just as Wanda had been for her. And there had been a lot to unburden. Once Wanda had opened up—sharing that she had played a critical role in the creation of Ultron among everything else that had happened—Nina's heart had nearly broken for the pain and guilt her friend was struggling to bear. And she began to understand why the Sokovian girl had begun to withdraw into herself a little better. Not perfectly, but she did. Wanda felt responsible for everything. And as much as having someone to listen without judging had helped, Nina couldn't help the gut instinct that it wasn't quite enough. While confessing how he'd felt about everything had happened during the Ultron Fiasco had proven cathartic for Pietro, it given Wanda only a sense of relief that she'd let it out. The weight hadn't lifted for her quite the same way it had for her brother.

So Nina suspected Pietro was right that Wanda had needed an outlet. A distraction, as he'd called it: a way to get out of her own head for a time. And if anyone would, it was Pietro who would know best if his sister needed it more than he needed her close.

Even if it left him feeling even more anxious and worried than Nina.

And she couldn't help but admit that he was probably right about her. At the crux of Nina's feelings on the matter really was the fear of being shut out. She supposed she didn't need to go along. Not the same way Wanda did. She would've liked to, to be sure, but the more she thought about it, the more she had to admit that Pietro was right that it was more that she didn't want to be left out of the loop. She wanted to know what was going on even if she didn't necessarily need to participate. She wanted to know if the people she cared about were risking their lives rather than wondering if they might be. It was a subtle distinction, but still an important one to her.

It allowed her to realize that a little part of her was okay with staying behind...at least this time. She was new to this side of the world, after all, and overwhelmed was a mild term for what she felt when she let herself really think about it all, about everything that had changed. She didn't even know yet if she was okay with the idea that she was definitively separate from the 'normal' world now. She'd never quite realized just how she'd never truly felt like she belonged in the life she'd lived, like there'd been something missing, until she'd been stolen away from it, but still...it had been all she'd known.

She needed to know more about her new reality. She needed to learn more.

She needed to learn how to be a part of the Avengers' world.

And she wanted to learn.

Or at least, part of her did. The fact that everything that had happened in Sokovia haunted her potentially contradicted that desire. Or perhaps affirmed it. Maybe her desire to join the fight was a subconscious means of fighting back against her lingering fears of everything that had happened. If she was like the Avengers? If she could fight like them, with them? Well, what had happened to her in Sokovia wouldn't happen again. She wouldn't be alone.

She wouldn't be helpless.

Maybe. She wasn't a shrink, so she didn't know if such musings were on point or if they were nonsense. It was just a feeling. Maybe it was just that she wanted to feel safe again, like she could take care of herself. Perhaps that was what was behind her desire to learn more about this world than any real desire to join the fight.

That, and needing to learn how to control and use her new powers...and how to live with them.

Still...

"I just—I wish..." she sighed, her shoulders slumping as her anxiety began to fade in the wake of her little epiphany, leaving only a sad sort of resignation. Part of her certainly understood now what her mom had tried to do. "I wish I was just...normal again."

"No you don't." She looked sharply to Pietro, her eyes going wide with surprise and a little annoyance. Nonchalant as he'd sounded, and despite the amused glint in his eyes, his expression was rather intent. "You belong here with all of us and you know it," he said with an absent gesture. Nina gaped.

But at the same time he was right. She knew he was right. She could feel it. She felt like she belonged in this place, with these people, in a way she never had in Vienna or anywhere else they'd lived. In a way that she'd only ever felt with her mom. It was a realization that broke over her like a wave; a slow, building comprehension that suddenly crashed into her, bowling her over with the truth of it. She just hadn't been able to see it. She hadn't thought to.

She'd been afraid to. Afraid of what it meant. The realization fluttered uncomfortably in her chest.

"Besides. If you were normal? You wouldn't have met me," he added with a smug grin. And the anxious feeling was gone. With a scoff that did a terrible job at hiding her laughter, she twisted and shoved at his chest, fighting back a grin. He chuckled, looking down at her with his smug, fond smirk. And a fluttery feeling woke in her belly that she hadn't felt since before the battle, her cheeks warming at the sensation. How did he do that?

Because she liked him, of course. The realization was not a new one, but rather one she had been trying not to dwell on just in case. He was funny and surprisingly sweet behind the bravado, and despite claiming that his sister was the smart, compassionate one, he was just as insightful and caring as Wanda when he wanted to be. Sometimes without even meaning to be. He actually listened when she'd needed to talk, encouraging her to get it out in his own, blunt way. And he actually cared about what she had to say, never dismissing her feelings or her fears. He never made her feel silly or weak when she struggled with her own emotions over everything she was trying to come to terms with about her new reality, her new life. Not to mention he had a brash, handsome bravado to him that never quite failed to make her knees feel just a little weak when he smirked at her. What wasn't to like?

And he seemed to genuinely like her. Possibly even as more than a friend. With the way he was currently looking at her? Well, she could hope, right?

It was then that she felt his lips brush against hers.

At first she wasn't entirely sure it had actually happened. He'd leaned in so quickly that if it weren't for the way his own cheeks pinked or the way his arm had tensed nervously around her shoulders she definitely would've thought she'd imagined it.

She stared at him in surprise for a moment, taking in his pleased smirk and the nervous anticipation in his blue-green eyes. Unconsciously she wet her lips, her breath hitching at the way he seemed to light up hopefully despite trying to hide it at the way her lips tugged into a pleased grin of her own.

Then he leaned in again.

And just as with the first kiss, she barely had time to register the feel of his lips against hers before he was pulling away.

"Pietro," she objected at once, her voice breathless. Concern returned to his eyes. "You're going too fast!" And then confusion had taken hold; she could practically see his mind racing to figure out what she had meant. It was a protest that usually accompanied things far more heated than what he'd tried, after all. He was suddenly looking apprehensive again, worried that he'd overstepped, that he'd misread her reaction. Nina nearly chuckled. It was so rare to see the self-assured speedster so uncertain. It was endearing. But despite her enjoyment, she took pity on him then, smiling widely as she tentatively wound her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer.

"Slower," she chided teasingly before pressing her lips to his, kissing him softly, slowly, savouring the feel of his lips against hers. She felt him smile against her mouth as he caught on, a chuckle of his own rumbling in his chest as his arms curled more securely around her.

And he kissed her slowly back.

A/N: Thanks for Reading!

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