5 The Speaking Snake and Strawberries

Morgan is about six in this story.

It was a warm spring afternoon, Morgan and Harry stood outside the gates of the central park zoo. The young children were holding onto their brother, Peter's hand with Erik, and Charles, while Happy was getting the tickets. To say she was excited was an understatement. Morgan had never been to the zoo before, she had seen the animals on the TV but wanted to see them in person, so she asked her mom if they could go to the zoo, and she agreed.

"What kind of animals do you think we will get to see Peter? Charles?" Morgan and Harry asked as they were bouncing up and down with excitement.

Peter let out a chuckle,"We will get to see penguins, lions, zebras, and all kinds of other animals" he replied with a soft smile. At that moment Happy and Jean had returned with the ticket, as the group headed inside Morgan ran to look at the map.

"Can we go and see the penguins first?" Morgan asked. She remembered seeing them on TV when she had watched the movie Happy Feet, and now they were easily her favorite animal.

Though her smile fell momentarily when she heard her mentor, Jean speak," Sorry Morguna but the penguins are in the back of the park, so we--"

"We will have to see some elephants first before we get there." Morgan's smiled reformed on Charles's words.

"like Dumbo," Harry said and Morgan smiled brightly.

"Yeah like Dumbo kid" They heard Peter say. The group then started to walk in the directions of the elephants.

Harry saw them and froze, "Wow they are huge," he said surprised.

"Yeah, they are," Jean agreed.

"They are the biggest land mammals," Morgan heard her mentor say. "They live in groups with their parents and brothers and sisters," Charles explained to them.

Morgan gave a bit of a nod but looked a bit confused. "Charles what does mammal mean," she asked as they began to walk towards the next exhibit. The group went to see snakes.

"A mammal is an animal that breathes air, has a backbone, and grows hair at some point during its life," she heard Jean explain to her as they went seeing different types of snakes.

Happy went to the bodyguards to tell them to bring them some snacks.

"It's asleep!" Harry and Morgan exclaimed as they came across a boa.

"It's boring!" Peter exclaims and Erik and Jean looks at him.

"Sorry about him. He doesn't understand what it's like," Morgan said starling, Peter Jean and Erik.

"Lying there day after day, watching people press their ugly faces on the glass," Harry said.

The snake nods. Morgan looks at Harry, he has the same shocked expression. The others were freezed seeing them talking to a snake.

"Can you understand us?" Harry and Morgan asked together.

The snake lifts its head up higher, almost admiring them.

"I am flattered," Erik said.

"I have never spoken to a snake before..." Harry said.

"...Do you speak to people often?" Morgan finished.

The snake simply shook its head.

"So... you're from Burma, aren't you? Was it nice there? Do you miss your family?" Harry asked. The snake nodded its head towards a sign that said:

BRED IN CAPTIVITY

"I see. " Charles said from behind.

"Can you speak with the Snakes ?"

"No Morguna it is just yours and Harry's imagination!" Charles replied.

"But it seemed real," Harry said.

"You know Jean can too but how you both?"

"I AM THE BEST that is why?" Morgan said making everyone laugh. The group walked into the penguin house and Morgan ran to the glass.

"Look at the penguin he's so cute, I wish I could have a pet penguin," the little girl said she was waving at the penguin, "is a penguin a mammal?" she asked.

Erik explained, "No baby, they are not mammals, although they do have furs and are warm-blooded."

Peter spoke afterward "penguins are birds, and sadly you can't have one as a pet though that would be really cool."

Morgan took a moment to ask another question. "What does warm-blooded mean?" she asked curiously.

"Mammals and birds are warm-blooded," Harry said looking at the IPAD.

"CORRECT" Jean mentions.

" which means that they can make their own body heat. Whether it is sunny and hot outside or there is a snowstorm and it is very cold, warm-blooded animals have body temperatures that usually stay the same," Charles patiently explained.

"Humans are warm-blooded." Peter chimed in while they continued to walk through the house with the penguins.

After that the group saw many more animals ranging from tigers to polar bears to spiders, Morgan didn't like the spiders much, but she didn't dare say anything about that to peter who was her favorite spider.

When the day was ending the group headed back to the jet, "This was the best day ever" Morgan and Harry mumbled tiredly as Erik buckled Morgan into her jet seat.

"I'm glad you had a good time squirts," Erik said getting on the his sea. They pulled in the air Morgan and Harry began to drift to sleep.

"I love you 3000 Pete, Harry, Charles, Jean and Erik, and Dad" she mumbled before finally dozing off leaving Charles, Erik, Jean, Peter and Happy looking at her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here Morgan is eight.

Morgan and Harry got to spend lots of time playing games and watching cartoons with their uncles. They had even had a yummy snack of fruit salad, prepared by Bucky and Steve.

Later in the afternoon things started to take a turn for the worse. Morgan had fallen silent for quite some time, It was Bucky who had at first become concerned, he glanced up from the book he was reading to see what Morgan and Harry were doing.

"Is something wrong with her?" Sam asked as he entered the living room. He had just returned from SHIELD base on either side of the compound.

The child had been building a puzzle at the coffee table. Something didn't seem to be quite right though. She was breathing heavily, it was obvious.

Bucky walked over to her and sat on the ground beside her."Everything okay kiddo?" He asked.

When he and Sam were seated next to her he could hear her wheezing softly and she seemed flushed and disoriented.

"She has got fever." Harry said.

Sam gently grabbed her wrist, taking note of how fast and thread her pulse was. It took a few moments before the symptoms linked together in his head.

Bucky helped Morgan lean back."STEVE!" He called for the other super-soldier.

Steve ran into the living room obviously a little startled and confused. He noticed Morgan and quickly walked over leaning down in front of the young girl.

"Morgan, sweetie what's wrong?" Steve asked.

"I think she's having an allergic reaction to something" Bucky responded first.

Morgan couldn't figure out how to respond, she just kept motioning to her book bag loosely. Steve grabbed her bag; he looked through the different pouches before finding exactly what he had been hoping to.

An EpiPen.

There was a gap of silence before Steve spoke, "Pepper is allergic to strawberries,"

"And so Morgan?" Harry whispered standing in the midst of his uncles.

"and we gave Morgan fruit salad with strawberries in it." Steve continued.

Bucky didn't say anything immediately, motioning for the EpiPen. Steve handed it over and Bucky carefully but quickly injected it into Morgan's upper thigh.

"You should go call Pepper to let her know what happened. We've got her" Bucky said.

Morgan in the meantime, while still being silent, seemed to relax, as the medicine was begging to work breathing became easier, she was exhausted and felt nauseous. She was going to say something about it, but the moment she opened her mouth she paled considerably. Bucky and Sam noticed this.

Bucky immediately grabbed a trash bin holding it in front of the young girl while she puked and mumbled calm reassurances. Sam has returned to the room bringing a bottle of water.

"I have called Wanda she is coming back," Steve said addressing Bucky first.

Morgan sighed softly and closed her eyes, tiredly mumbling, "I want my mom and dad"

"I know kiddo, " Bucky said. Morgan then went to sleep on the couch.