Once Upon an Avenger

Chapter 14: Villains aren't born, they're made...

The next morning, Hope was downstairs before anyone else. She hadn't slept at all that night; she knew what would be waiting for her when she eventually dozed off, and although the curse had left psychological scars, the aftereffects could leave physical ones. Something she wasn't ready to face, not yet at least. Before she could even contemplate going to bed, Hope needed to figure out how to sleep with her guard up, just like Henry eventually had.

"Morning, Romanova!" Hope said as she handed Nat a coffee. She knew by now what time the fiery redhead came downstairs each morning, so had it ready for her just in time.

"Thanks, Hope!" Nat smiled before taking a sip of her drink. "You're up early this morning, did you even get any sleep? I went to bed at 3 and you were still partying away with Sam and Loki." Hope looked down, trying to figure out whether it was best to lie or to tell the truth; she settled on being honest about not wanting to go to sleep. But before she could answer, Nat spoke again. "Felt like you'd slept enough for a lifetime?"

"Something like that... How did you know?"

"I could practically see the cogs turning." Hope smiled at her. She knew that Tony wouldn't be so understanding, neither would Sam and Loki if she was being honest with herself. "You're going to have to get some sleep eventually."

"I know, don't worry, I'll try and get some tonight." Hope lied; she had no intention of going to sleep any time soon.

"I'll hold you to that!" Nat passed her a biscuit from her secret stash.

Hope raised her biscuit to say thank you, then took a bite. "I'm sure you will."

"Listen, about Steve last night..."

"Don't even try making excuses for him, Natasha. He made his bed, and now he has to lie in it. I can't keep forgiving him every time he screws up. At the end of the day, I'm here to work, not to make friends."

"He feels really bad." Hope shook her heard at Nat's comment. "I'm not making excuses. He deserves to be shown the cold shoulder, there's no doubting that, but if you could make sure that your boys don't kill him, that would be great. He might be a pain in the ass but he's useful, sometimes."

"My boys?" Hope laughed at the nickname. "Don't worry I haven't told them." Nat tilted her head, asking for an explanation. "Sam and Captain Douchebag have only just got back to normal; I didn't want to ruin that for them. Loki, on the other hand, would kill him in an instant. He's trying so hard to be a hero and not the villain for once, I can't let my problems with Steve get in the way of that. Mischief deserves a second chance without anyone getting in the way."

"You're a good friend, Hope. Just make sure you don't put their needs before your own."

"I won't, don't worry."

Suddenly Tony came downstairs, mumbling about coffee. It took one look at him for Hope's heart to sink. No, no, no! This can't be happening! How does she know that I'm awake? "Did you have another nightmare, Tony?" She eventually asked, even though deep down she already knew the answer.

"Another nightmare?" Nat asked.

"He had one the night I almost gave Steve a heart attack."

"I'm not surprised, I think we all did." Nat passed Tony a coffee. "Even if it was hilarious watching him squirm."

Tony smiled at her as if to say thank you. "If I remember correctly, that's exactly what Hope said to me and the kid the next morning."

Hope shrugged. "Great minds think alike..."

"Indeed, they do..." Nat winked at her.

"In answer to your question," Tony sat down on the stool next to Hope, "yes, I did." He took a sip of his steaming hot coffee. "Pepper had one too; at first I thought it was a coincidence, but then she told me about it: we had the same dream. There's only one person who can be behind it, and you're not going to want to hear it, kiddo."