10 Chapter Ten

Carissa was lucky to still have Peter after what had happened. The dreams still haunted her to this day. The detailed story she'd gotten about what happened left little to the imagination.

"I could've helped him!" She screamed at Tony.

"You had direct orders not to. It's my fault." Tony replied as guilt overcame his features.

"Yeah. It is your fucking fault." The girl barked back.

But it hadn't been. She felt it'd been hers. She had left, she could've gone back. It had been her fault.

"Nothing is your fault." Peter had told her.

Her fingertips stroked his cheek. "You could've gotten hurt. Worse. Fuck, Parker. You did get hurt." His face was cut up, eye was black. The rest of him was all bruised up.

He didn't respond. His dark eyes looked back into hers.

"Carissa?" He asked.

"Just kiss me." She told the boy.

And he did. Slow, passionate. He pulled away from her slowly, resting his forehead against hers. Looking into each other's eyes, the pair both started to laugh.

"I could fall in love with you, Parker." She whispered. It was true, she could. They both could and they knew it. Part of her wanted to just as a part of him wanted her to.

"But you're waiting. I understand, Riss. Bucky is your guy." Peter told her.

"Thank you for being so understanding." She told him in a hushed voice. It hurt her to know that wouldn't change.

That had been two years ago. She hadn't seen him much since, but they talked all the time. 90% of their camera rolls were facetime photos of the two of them. She missed him. He wasn't far away, but they didn't see each other much. He didn't call her for more help, he didn't call her to be on his side again and she didn't either. She wasn't sure why. Why were they so distant?

Last she'd checked, that was his lock screen. A picture of them. It was still hers to this day. Peter made her wait more bearable, even if she didn't see him much. Her poor dad didn't have a distraction outlet. The long hair and beard look made it obvious he was slowly losing his mind. It'd only taken two years, but he was losing.

"Nomad look." She commented.

"You hate it?" He asked.

"The opposite, dad. It suits you." She liked it on him. She liked the feel of her dad not giving a fuck.

He smiled and nodded.

"Let's go." He said.

"Go?" She asked.

"We gotta go get Wanda." He replied.

Going to get Wanda included Natasha and Sam. She wasn't sure why they were getting Wanda. She wasn't complaining, considering the fact that it had been awhile since She'd seen them. In the two years since she'd gotten powers, she'd learned how to use them properly. She'd mastered them a hell of a lot faster than Wanda had, Tony told her, but it had taken a bigger piece of her. When Tony had made her sit out, he tried his best to come up with something to calm her mood swings. She hadn't really mastered them, really, but she was close. Or so Tony had thought.

She ditched the mask and continued to sport her cat suit. The skin-tight black material clung to her body. Her long, light blonde hair contrasted against the shiny, dark material. She was on the jet with Nat, Sam and her dad.

"How was Queens?" Nat asked her like it was recent. She hadn't seen Nat in a while, considering she had been on the run.

The girl shrugged. "It wasn't bad, I guess." She replied.

"How was the Spider?" Nat asked, nudging Carissa's arm lightly.

She shook her head again. "He was okay. I haven't seen much of him since."

"Something happen?" Nat asked.

Carissa didn't reply as the memory of the kiss played in her head. She knew it was harder to mask feelings in person than it was over FaceTime. She thought maybe that was why she hadn't seen much of her best friend. She frowned.

They landed in Scotland. Her phone chimed in her zipped pocket on her thigh.

From: Peter🕸❤️

I'm on a spaceship.

To: Peter🕸❤️

I'm in Scotland. She replied.

She smiled at her phone before slipping it back into the pocket and zipping. She missed him so much more than she cared to admit. She loved him, but also didn't care to admit that.

Her middle finger rubbed over the web shooters that sat comfortably against her wrist and palm.

She could've fallen in love with you, Parker. He tried to suppress his feelings, but it wasn't a could for him.

A train station? Really? These people were so dramatic. The train passed, the closest thing to a dramatic entrance Steve could manage at this time. Carissa stood to the left of him as their enemy threw her weapon between them. Steve caught it. Sam flew from the left of the enemy, sending her out of the picture. Carissa met Wanda's gaze. The girls both gasped lightly, smiling at each other. Neither realized how much they'd missed the other.

Steve threw the enemy weapon, hurling it towards Natasha. She caught it, using it against the other guy.

Steve jumped in, saving Nat from getting taken out.

"Little help here?" He yelled to Carissa. She raised her hands. The red illuminated around her hands, aiding her dad. Natasha's face coated in awe while Wanda's held concern for the girl. Sam almost flew into a wall as he watched her.

She flung both of the enemies against the wall, leaving them laying on the ground before swinging over to meet her dad. Sam joined the blonde pair, guns pointed out.

"Upgrades?" Sam asked the girl. She nodded.

"We don't wanna kill you, but we will." Natasha said.

"You'll never get the chance again." Their enemy replied.

"We'll see." Carissa piped up.

Blue lighting illuminated around them before they disappeared before the team's eyes. Steve looked down at her and she just shrugged. They turned, heading towards Wanda and Vision.

"Thank you, Captain." Vision said. Wanda looked at the girl.

And thank you. She said telepathically.

Anytime. Carissa replied.

"Let's get you on the jet." Steve replied to Vision.

To: Peter🕸❤️

From: My Riss🛸🤍

We're leaving Scotland. We've got Wanda and Vision.

From: Peter🕸❤️

I miss you.

Carissa froze. If you missed her why the fuck didn't she see you?

"Where to, Cap?"

"Home." Steve answered.

Carissa looked down at her phone, her finger hovering over the send button.

To: Peter🕸❤️

I miss you, too.

If you missed her so much, why the fuck hasn't she seen you?

The girl had no idea Peter was smiling at his phone, too, all the way in space. Wait, why was he in space? Peter was sitting in a large doughnut shit with Tony Stark and Dr. Strange. He was driving them crazy, being the usual idiot he was. He missed her more than he'd like to admit, but that was the usual with him. It drove him crazy avoiding her, but this was the best way. He respected her feelings for Bucky, so he decided to back off. That wasn't what Carissa had wanted, though Peter had no idea. He thought he was doing what was best for everyone involved.

Back at the tower, the team ran into Rhodey, as to be expected. He was on the phone when they walked in. Carissa walked between her dad and Nat.

"Mr. Secretary." Steve acknowledged.

"You got some nerve. I'll give you that."

"You could use some of that right now." Nat replied.

"The world's on fire. And you think all is forgiven?"

"I'm not looking for forgiveness." Dad replied. "And I'm way past asking permission. Earth just lost her best defender. So, we're here to fight. And if you wanna stand in our way we'll fight you, too."

Carissa wanted to applaud her father but once sentence stuck out.

"Best defender?" She asked. "Lost? Dad, where's Tony?"

Mr. Secretary turned around. "Arrest them." He told Rhodey.

"All over it." Rhodey replied. "That's a court-martial. It's great to see you, Cap."

Steve took a step forward. "You too, Rhodey." He said, taking his hand. Nat walked forward. She hugged Rhodey.

He looked up at the girl. "Hey, Riss."

"Rhodey." She replied. She wasn't over the Tony thing. If Peter was in space, Tony was, too, right? Fuck, what where they doing?

"Wow. You guys really look like crap. Must've been a rough couple years."

"Thanks." She replied. She wasn't supposed to admit she and Steve had stayed behind.

"Yeah, well, the hotels weren't exactly five star." Sam replied.

Bruce stepped in. "Uh, I think you look great."

"Thanks, Bruce." Carissa replied, smiling at the man she hadn't seen in years.

"Yeah, I'm back." He said to the room.

"Hi, Bruce." Nat said.

"Nat." Was all he said.

"This is awkward." Carissa heard Sam whisper.

"No shit." She replied.

"I missed you, blondie." He admitted.

The girl stuck out her bottom lip. "I missed you, too."

"So, we gotta assume they're coming back, right?" Rhodey asked.

"And they can clearly find us." Wanda said.

"You say that like we're hiding." Carissa replied.

"We need all hands-on deck. Where's Clint?" Bruce asked.

"After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal." Nat answered.

"After the cells we were left in, I can't blame them." Riss added.

"What's it like to be a criminal at 15?" Bruce asked.

"Weird." She replied. "But then again, my jail experience wasn't like most."

Sam shook his head. "Scared me when they said emergency surgery."

"You weren't the one getting surgery." Riss replied.

"Who's Scott?" Bruce asked.

"Ant-Man." Steve said.

"There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?" Bruce asked.

The mention of Peter threw the girl for a loop. Wanda sent her a look. She shook her head. Of course, she noticed. She wasn't gonna go digging through Riss's head without permission, she thought it was an invasion of privacy, which Riss was especially grateful for right now.

"Okay, look. Thanos has the biggest army in the universe and he is not gonna stop until he- he gets Vision's stone." Bruce said.

"Then we have to protect it." Nat said.

"Against the biggest army in the universe?" Riss asked. "I think the fuck not."

Dad shot her a look. The girl was seventeen, Steve. Leave her alone.

"No, we have to destroy it." Vision said. "I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head. About its nature. But also, its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source something very similar to its own signature, perhaps it's molecular integrity could fail."

"Yeah, and you with it." Wanda replied. "We're not having this conversation."

"Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it." Vision told her.

"That's too high a price." Wanda said.

"Only you have to power to pay it." Vision said.

"No." Carissa interjected. "She isn't. And she won't."

"Thanos threatens half the universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him." Vision said.

"But it should." Steve said. "We don't trade lives, Vision."

"Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people?"

"And look at where that got him, Vision." Riss replied.

"Tell me, why is this any different?" Vision asked.

"Because you might have a choice." Bruce said. "Your mind is made up of complex construct of overlays. Jarvis, Ultron, Tony, me, the stone. All of them mixed together, all of them learning from one another."

"You're saying Vision isn't just the stone?" Wanda asked.

"Like you aren't just your powers." Riss told her.

"I'm saying that if we take out the stone there's still a whole lot of Vision left." Bruce said.

"He isn't relying on the stone alone." Carissa added. "It leaves the rest of him behind."

"Perhaps the best parts." Bruce said.

"Can we do that?" Nat asked.

"Not me, not here" Bruce replied.

"Well, you better find someone and somewhere fast. Ross isn't just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back."

Carissa turned around. "Dad?" She asked.

He looked at his daughter before nodding. "I know somewhere." He said. They both did, but close enough.

So, the team headed off to Wakanda.

In Carissa's eyes, Wakanda meant Bucky.

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