*Disclaimer* Some R language, but not nearly as bad as the last time I put this at the beginning. 

Chapter 37: French Lessons

"I can't believe you lied on your SHIELD file!"

"Say it a little louder, I don't think all of New York heard you." I say sternly towards Peter, gesturing to my window.

"I'm sorry, Jade. But this is serious. How did you manage to leave Luc out of your profile?" Peter says, calming down.

"How did I manage to not tell you for a year and a half?" I rebuttal as he continues to pace my room.

"Fair point, but Jade this is serious! If Fury finds out-"

"He's not gonna find out. After I tell everyone about Luc, I'll go back to my file and fix it. Files change all the time, Fury won't notice." I cut Peter off.

"And when are you planning on telling everyone?" Peter says, stopping in front of me.

"I don't know, when I feel like it. It's my life, Peter, why do you care if they know about it?"

"Because whether you like it or not, they're apart of it and deserve to know."

"You're right, maybe they should know, but..."

"But what, Jade!?"

"But maybe I don't want them to know!" I shout at Peter. "Luc is the one thing I have that they don't know about now! You and him are my weaknesses and with you... I can protect you. I don't even know if Luc is alive and that thought kills me! I don't want them to know that one of my biggest weaknesses is a man I was in love with. I don't want them looking at me like I'm some wounded animal." After finishing my little rant, Peter opens his arms.

"Alright c'mere Peeta." I walk into his embrace, burying my head in his chest. "I'm sorry for upsetting you."

"You didn't, I upset myself." I say turning my head.

"You know there is a pool here. You could go relax down there, if you want? Did you pack a swimsuit?" Peter asks.

I pull back and say, "Yes, and that sounds wonderful."

"Yeah, 78th floor." Peter says looking down at me.

"Merci, Tigre." I say. Peter's face seems to falter slightly, so I look at him concerned. "What?"

"Nothing." He rushes out. "You just haven't called me that in a while. You also haven't talked to me in French for a while either." Peter says, almost blushing.

"Eh bien, tu es mon petit tigre. Je devrais vous parler plus en Français?" I reply to Peter.

He thinks for a moment before looking back at me. "Okay, if you said what I think you said... I'm not little, and... Yes...? But only with thinks you know, I know." Peter finishes, not so confidently, pointing to first me, then himself. I chuckle at him, but give him a small applause for translating correctly.

"Very good. I'm happy to know the hours of teaching you French didn't go to waste." I say walking around Peter to my closet.

He runs after me saying, "Uh, Jade, just to clarify, but... what exactly did you say?" He throws me a sheepish smile while I grab my swimsuit.

I smile at him saying, "Well, you are my little tiger. Should I speak to you more in French?"

"Oh, cool. So I did get it right." Peter says, his smile growing into a pleased one.

"Oui, mais vous êtes tigre rouillée. Selon moi, que plus de leçons sont dans l'ordre." (Yes, but you're rusty tiger. I believe more lessons are in order.) I say walking past Peter and out of my room.

"What?" He says before scampering after me.

"Et je vais deviner que votre espagnol a également besoin de travail. Si je me souviens bien, vous avez passé à peine." (And I'm going to guess your Spanish needs some work too. If I recall correctly, you barely passed.) I say walking down the hall and into the living room with Clint, Thor and Steve sitting on the couch.

"Speak English!" Peter whines following me.

"Dude you barely passed Spanish? Weren't you top of your class?" Clint asks, clearly understanding what I said.

Before Peter can respond, I do. "Aurait été si il étudie plus avec moi pour l'espagnol." (Would have if he had studied with me more for Spanish.) Clint chuckles while Thor, Steve and Peter share the same look of adorable confusion.

"So what's with the sudden French?" Steve asks.

"Yeah, that's my fault." Peter says, rubbing the back of his neck. "She asked if I wanted her to speak more French, and I said yes."

"Well I think it's wonderful Jade is speaking in her native language." Thor says with a wide grin, earning a smile from me in return.

"Merci Thor, now if you don't mind, I will be heading down to the pool." I say, with a slight hint of my accent. I walk into the elevator and wave to Peter as the doors close.

*Peter's POV*

"Well that was easier than I thought." I say once the elevator doors close.

"Excuse me?" Steve asks standing up and walking around the couch.

"Oh, I wanted to get Jade back for last week." I say taking my phone out of my pocket.

"And getting her to go to the pool is your revenge?" Clint asks, not looking away from the TV.

"Part of it." I say texting Johnny that Jade's down at the pool. He was more than willing to help. Seconds after I hit send, the elevator opens, revealing not only Johnny but Sue, Reed, and Ben as well.

"Jarvis!" Johnny says walking right by me and Steve to the couch.

"Yes, Mr. Storm?"

"Play video from the pool on the TV." Johnny says as the rest of his team, Steve and I walk over to the couches.

"Hey!" Clint says as the TV changes from his show to the pool. "You know I was watch... Whoa..." Clint start to say, but trails off as he sees Jade on the screen.

"Whoa is right." Johnny says hopping over the couch and sitting down. "What I tell you, Petey?" Johnny says, but I don't answer him. I-I'm too captivated by Jade. She's gorgeous...

"Peter?" Susan says, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Huh... OH yeah, yeah, good call Johnny." I mumble walking around the couch and sitting down.

"Oh man, how have you been around that for over a year and done nothing with it?" Johnny asks, nudging me as Jade dives into the water.

"Maybe because Peter's not an immature child?" Sue says, standing behind the couch with Reed and Ben.

"You gotta come up with a better insult for me." Johnny says not taking his eyes off the screen.

Steve clears his throat. "Alright, I think that's enough. Jarvis turn it off."

"Oh come on! We were watching to when she went to the locker room." Johnny says, whirling around to face Steve as the screen goes black. Even though I know what Johnny meant, I still give him my own rendition of a disgusted expression towards him, like everyone else does at him saying that. He looks around everyone then, shakes his head. "No not like that! The prank is to take all of Jade's clothes, bathing suit and towel when she's showering. We have to know when she's done so we can do that." Johnny explains.

"How do you know she'll shower?" Clint asks.

"Jade hates the smell of chlorine, especially on her when she's dry." I say.

"So one of ya's gonna go into da girl's bathroom?" Ben asks.

Johnny chuckles before answering. "Here's the best part, Sue agreed to get her clothes."

"More like kept myself from going insane from Johnny's constant nagging." Sue says, brushing off the astonished look her husband gives her.

"Natasha has assisted both Barton and Stark before, why did you not ask her?" Thor asks.

"Why didn't you ask me what?" Natasha herself, asks stepping out of the elevator with Bruce.

"To help them prank Jade." Reed says.

"Well I'd be grateful not being included in that plan." Bruce says.

"Yeah, what exactly is your plan?" Natasha asks, sitting next to Clint.

"To take Jade's clothes while she's showering." Clint says.

"How-"

"She hates chlorine." Clint says, again, answering Natasha's question before she finishes asking it.

"Oh, well why aren't you watching her? You'll kinda need to know when she's showering." Natasha says.

"See!" Johnny whines pointing at Natasha, but looking at Steve.

He crosses his arms, rolls his eyes and lets out an agitated sigh. "Fine, but you have to stop ogling her like she's a piece of meat." Steve says pointing at Johnny and walking around the couch to sit next to me.

"I'm not. I'm ogling her like the smoking hot babe she it." Johnny says.

"For once, I think I'm agreeing with Flame Brain." Clint says. Natasha slaps his arm and we all focus on the screen, watching Jade float in the middle of the pool on her back. She looks so serene. Makes me feel almost ashamed to prank her. She'll be so upset... No, no! Parker! Come one! Think of how flustered she'll be! It'll be hilarious and Jade can take a joke. Right...? Yeah, if she can dish it out, she can take it.

I focus back on the TV right as Jade twirls through the water and onto her back again. Also, right when the elevator opens again.

"Tony, I don't work too much."

"I beg to differ."

"So you've said." Pepper and tony walk out of the elevator, Pepper typing something on her phone, Tony trying to get her to look at him.

"I only say it so much because it's true." Tony says snatching her phone out of her hands. At this point, we've all turned around to watch the couple. "Come on Pep, you're barely ever home and when you are it's spent downstairs."

"I spend too much time downstairs?" Pepper asks, placing her hands on her hips.

"Oh I've gotten better and you know which downstairs I'm talking about." Tony says taking a step towards her. He is prepared to say something else, but stops and turns towards all of us. Before any of us can say something, Tony points at the TV with Pepper's phone and asks, "Are you watching Jade... swim?"

"No, no, we are preparing for a prank. You seem familiar with those Stark. Watching Jade swim, just happens to be a perk." Johnny says.

"What does watching her swim have to do with anything?" Pepper asks, whisking her phone back out of Tony's hand.

"Take her clothes while she's changing." Tony says, clearly knowing what's up. "Amateur hour boys." He states walking up to the couches with Pepper. Getting a better view of the TV and of Jade resurfacing after a dive, and pushing her perfect hair back... *mentally clears throat* Tony begins to utter his own whoa. "Wh-" But before he finishes, Sue sits up and gently turns Tony's head towards Pepper. To which, he promptly become more enthusiastic towards the end of his whoa. "Oa!" He pull Pepper towards him by snaking his arms around her waist and urgently kissing her. "I love you and need you and couldn't go on without you." Tony rushes out upon drawing back.

"Don't forget it." Pepper says, moving her hands rom Tony's face to beck to his shoulders. Tony gives Pepper another, quick kiss before squeezing Sue's shoulder over the couch and guiding Pepper next to Natasha, Clint, and Thor. I turn back to the TV to see Jade dive under water, her feet coming up and making a splash. She reappears 6 feet from where she was and swims the last couple of feet to the wall. She pushes herself out of the water effortlessly and walks to the railing, grabbing her towel. She bends over, letting her hair dangle, drying it with the towel. After straightening, Jade wraps the towel around her shoulders and walks to the locker room door. On her way though, she almost slips, causing everyone to smile or chuckle. I smile. I personally think her clumsiness is adorable. Jade does everything perfectly, and the fact that she's also clumsy and that she's flawed makes her all the more perfect. Makes her human. And Jade thinks because of the things she's done means she's lost that capability. But she hasn't. It's there when she laughs, cries, asks how all of our days have been, sass', and yes when she trips or knocks something over.

Jade reaches the exit door and Johnny pats my shoulder and says, "Alright come on." I stand, the TV turning off, and follow Johnny to the elevator. Everyone gets up and follows us as well. Johnny and I stop, turning and looking at everyone confused.

"Well we didn't all sit there to not view the outcome." Thor says with a smile.

"Frankly I'm just coming to see Jade punch Peter and Johnny." Natasha says, stepping into the elevator first.

"What, didn't see that enough during training?" Steve teases, following Natasha. We all slowly file in, except Ben.

He sulks outside the door and says, "Wouldn't wanna wreck you fancy elevator, Tin Man." Before the doors close, Bruce stops them, pointing to the left at the stairs in the corner. "Yeah, thanks." Ben grunts, walking over. Bruce lets the door go and we head down to the pool. Johnny is practically jumping with anticipation next to me. The doors open and he rushes out, waiting for us to follow.

"Okay, Sue, go!" Johnny says motioning to the door.

"Hold it, we have to make sure Fenchy won't hear her." Tony says, taking his phone out. While he seems to set up a security camera, Ben trudges in. "Alright, looks like she's just now getting to the shower. Wait for her to turn on the water." Tony says as we all gather around him, looking at his phone.

"And make sure to keep quiet. She is a trained assassin." Clint reminds from behind me, looking to the screen. We all wait in silence, watching Jade hang up her towel, her clothes on a bench across from the showers.

"Jarvis?" She asks, turning on the water. Tony puts a hand in front of Sue.

"Yes Jade?"

"You still attached to my phone?"

"Yes."

"Alright, go to the playlist 'Jade's Shower Tunes' and start it up." Seconds later, a guitar can be heard through the door.

"She has a playlist for when she's showering?" Natasha asks.

"You don't?" Clint counters. She rolls her eyes at him and looks back to the phone.

Remember that trip we took in Mexico? Yeah. Hangin' with the boys and all your senoritas. I never spoke up, yeah. I never said 'Hello' but I keep on trying to find a way to meet ya, yeah.

"When you said she could sing, I didn't think it was this good." Pepper comments as Jade sings to the song that came on. She's now in the shower, curtain closed.

I was chillin' you were with him, hooked up by the fire. Now he's long gone, I'm like so long, now I got my chance, now I, now I got my chance. Like damn! You could be the one that could mess me up. You could be the one that'll break me down. All them other girls said they had enough. You could be the one that'll take me. I was solo, livin' yolo, 'til you blew my mind. Like damn, you could be the one that could mess me up. I can't let you, can't let you pass me by.

Jade sings, perfectly, drawing Pepper, Sue, Natasha, Reed, Ben, Bruce, and Thor to the door, while Johnny, Steve, Clint, and I stay looking at Tony's phone.

"Should I go now?" Sue whispers.

Wait for her to put her swimsuit out." Tony says, not looking up.

"How do you-" Clint starts himself, but stops as Jade's hand peaks out of the shower curtain and places first her top on the same hook as her towel and then her bottoms.

I was tryna play too cool to get caught up. Like, too fun, too young to fall to pieces. I know a girl like you can't ever get enough, but I'm addicted, trippin' tryna get you to see this. The way I need you, like I'm see through. Dancing out my pants. Got you shooken, caught you looking. Now I got my chance, now I, now I got my chance. Like damn! You could be the one that could mess me up, you could be the one that'll break me down. All them other girls said they had enough. You could be the one that'll take me. I was solo, livin' yolo, 'til you blew my mind. Like damn! You could be the one that'll mess me up. I can't let you, can't let you pass me by.

Jade continues to sing and Sue doesn't even hear Tony. Johnny takes his sister's shoulder saying her name slightly louder. "Sue, go, now." He instructs. Sue nods as if coming out of a daze, but still walks to the door, going invisible as her hand touches the knob.

It's like everywhere I look and everywhere I go, a million other guys keep staring and I know that I could be yours and you could be mine, I just can't let you pass me by, by, by. Everywhere I look and everywhere I go, a million other guys keep staring and I know that I could be yours and you could be mine, I just can't let you pass me by, by, by.

As Jade sings, or raps, I guess, nothing happens. But as the chorus repeats again, her clothes on the bench float up, next her bathing suit, and lastly her towel, all seemingly floating in the air. Soon, Susan reappears, pushing the door open with her back, her arms full of Jade's things. While Johnny and I walk over to Sue, taking the clothes, towel, and suit, Tony absentmindedly mumbles, "I wonder if I can change the angle to above the shower..." I whirl around, prepared to take the phone, but find Steve already doing so.

"They have her things, there's no need for this anymore." He scolds, handing the phone to Clint, who turns it off and places it in his own pocket.

"Fine, let's see what we got." Tony pouts, walking to Johnny and I, examining Jade's clothes.

*Jade's POV, 2 songs later*

"And I know that it's so cliché; to talk about you this way, but I'll push all my inhibitions aside. It's so very obvious to everyone watching us, that we have got something real good going on." I sing, turning off the water. I reach outside the curtain for my towel, but only feel the tile wall. Maybe it fell when I put my swimsuit out. I peak my head out, looking at the floor. Nothing. Okay wait, no there's nothing at all. Where the hell are my clothes, towel, and swimsuit? I look around and don't see a thing. But I do... hear something. "J, music." I say... there it is, that... snicker... Wait a second...

"PARKER!!!" I shout as loud as possible. Okay, yeah I pranked him, but tricking me, while we were discussing something important just so he could get a laugh is low. Low enough, that I can punch him in the face and not feel bad. But I can't do that naked, and no doubt everyone else is out there. Wait another second... Peter would never do something like this, prank me yeah, but not like this... "STORM!!!" I shout, again, angrier. How do I know it's Cap's doppelganger? Because Stark wouldn't do something this easy.

Too pissed off to think about anything but cracking the two chuckle heads skulls together, I think of the first and not so logical solution to my predicament, and act on it. I pull as hard as I can on the curtain, snapping the rings and setting it free of the bar. Quickly, I wrap it around myself, making sure I'm covered, and stomp to the exit, sopping wet. I shove the door open, hearing something crack as it connects with the wall. I hold the curtain up with one hand, hold the door back with the other as my nose and hair drip water with my glaring down Johnny and Peter. S predicted, everyone's here, Clint, Ben, Thor, Tony, and of course Johnny and Peter are laughing, while Bruce, Sue, Reed, Pepper, Natasha, and surprisingly, Steve chuckle, or stifle a laugh. I'm sure I look ridiculous right now, but I couldn't give two shits about how I look. That doesn't make me any less deadly.

"You know Jade..." Tony spits out between laughing. "I never took you as the lacey type of girl." He hold up my black bra from Johnny's hands which seem to be holding my clothes while peter has my towel and swimsuit.

"Oh, ha, ha, ha. You got one over on the master assassin." I muster out through my rage, and gritted teeth, scowling at Tony before facing Johnny and Peter again. I walk in front of them. "You two, pranked a. Master. Assassin." I say again, darker, getting my point across. By now, everyone's laughter has diminished, understanding that I'm truly angry about this. Sure I must seem like a hard ass who doesn't a funny bone, but Peter did this through disseat. Was he even paying attention when we talked? If he thinks all of this is a joke, maybe he's changed more than I thought over the past year. Maybe things can't go back to normal. I look up at Peter, making eye contact, as he wipes away a tear from laughing.

"Oh come on, Jade. It's a joke, laugh."

"Oh silly me for not laughing at a joke that started, when we were discussing my fucked up life and when I promised you something that, now, I'm not even sure you were paying attention to." I say, not moving. He looks hurt for a moment, ha as if he can walk away from this being the hurt one, before answering.

"Jade, I was paying attention."

"Well you sure as hell aren't showing it now." I turn away from him, planning on ending it then and there, but end up spinning back to him. "Pour l'amour de la baise Peter ! Ce qui fait croire que c'était correct de faire quelque chose comme ça quand nous parlions de Luc, de toutes les personnes ! N'importe quel autre moment, j'ai serait ont été rire avec vous, mais vous avez décidé de parler à cette tête de merde qui pense qu'il a il tellement dur, tout à l'heure de puiser dans ses sentiments, ou des conneries stupide comme ça. Vous avez foiré avant, mais cela ! Ô Jésus ! Je suis surpris, que je suis toujours là, putain vous parle à ce sujet ! Je devrais être maison, ou à mi-chemin à travers le monde, l'enfer n'importe où mais ici. Je ne devrais pas inquiéter un gamin, prenant ma vie et on se bousculait dans rien ! J'ai ridicule que je ne suis même entendre, parler à ces gens. Je n'aime pas ce que vous pensez, tout cela n'est jamais aller au travail. J'ai, mélangera jamais avec eux, Peter. Pourquoi est-ce que tu ne vois que? !"
(For fucks sake Peter! What made you think it was okay to do something like this when we were talking about Luc, of all people! Any other time, I would have been laughing along with you, but you decided to talk to this shit head who thinks he's got it so hard, just now tapping into his feelings, or some sappy bullshit like that. You've messed up before, but this! Jesus! I'm surprised I'm still here, fucking talking to you about it! I should be home, or half way across the world, hell anywhere but here. I should not be worrying about some kid, taking my life and shoving it into there's! It's ridiculous that I'm even here, talking to these people. I don't care what you think, all of this is never going to work. I, will never mix with them, Peter. Why can't you see that?!)

I didn't mean to shout at him like that. I didn't mean to say the things I did. I especially didn't mean to bring up Luc. Now I'm gonna have to dance around that and the questions that follow.

I can tell from Peter's expression that he picked up on some of it. I can't leave now though. I can't just half ass my fit and expect things to be okay. Plus if I stop now, I'll break down, and it'd be rather pitiful for me to collapse on the floor with nothing but a shower curtain around me.

I turn away from Peter, but before facing Johnny I see Clint, who clearly understood what I said -shouted- and is trying to piece it together. I'm sure Natasha understood too, but my back's now to her as well as half the people here. I face Johnny who looks slightly petrified. Good. "And as for you." I hiss. He opens his mouth, but I smack my clothes out of his hand, freeing it, and cut him off. I kick his left leg causing him to kneel and take his right hand, stepping around his left leg so I'm behind him, causing his right arm to wrap around his neck. "I should have said this from the beginning," I whisper in Johnny's ear, "But I decided to be nice. Now, not so much. Next time you think you're in love, try considering the other person. And in this case, the other person's heart is shattered beyond repair, so I suggest you back away." I slither darkly, pushing Johnny's arm and body away from me. I turn towards the elevator, prepared to make my exit, but stop by Steve. Not looking up at him, but speaking ever so quietly as to only so he can hear, I say, "Don't like pranks my ass."

A/N: Hey there! So first, sorry if some of this is underlined, my computer did something weird and rather than receive brain damage from trying to fix it I figured, it's doing no real harm so leave it. Second, what do you think! I like this chapter because it starts out nice and then just kinda... escalates... So yeah, tell me what you think about that. The song attached is Pass Me By by R5, whom I love by the way. The other one is Must Have Done Something Good by Reliant K. Oh, a just another quick little apology, sorry if any of the French is wrong. As I've stated before I do not speak French it's mainly Word and Google translate. But you know what, I updated while on vacation! Go me! I'm actually on the floor of my friend's cousin's guest bedroom and finished typing the chapter this morning. But now I am requested that I be social, so I'll have to bid you adieu my lovelies! Thank you for reading, voting and commenting!! I'll see you next time!