| sparks + butterflies | a peter parker fanfiction |

-17-

1619 words :)

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THEA TORE HER MIND AWAY FROM THE WITCH'S GRASP AS MEMORIES OF THAT NIGHT SWAMPED HER VISION.

She looked up to find everyone staring at her in shock, the familiar sensation of a fireball tingling her fingertips. Snuffing out the flames, she struggled to meet their eyes.

'I- I'm sorry- they made me forget that night- I didn't-' Thea choked on her words, unable to figure out what to say to make them understand.

'Hey,' a hand rested on her shoulder as Thea began to shake with suppressed sobs. Peter.

'None of what happened was your fault,'

'No- no, but I- I killed- you saw, I slit her throat-' Thea struggled to contain the flames building up inside her as each flicker of guilt and fear returned with her memories.

'Look, kiddo, Wanda showed us what-' Bucky paused, unsure what to call her father. He didn't deserve that title. '-that man, what he did to you. You fought him as hard as you could.'

'No- well, yeah, but I should have fought harder- I'm a killer-'

'How old were you?' The witch asked Thea, her eyes conveying something Thea never thought she would see in an Avenger- understanding.

'I- I was six when he found me- twelve when I- when I killed her-'

'We're here!' Another voice called from the cockpit, Sam Wilson. Thea assumed he'd left when she woke up.

'We will talk later, Thea,' Wanda Maximoff said. 'In the time being, I think it's best that you stay at the compound. If that's okay with you,'

'Is there anyone you need to contact?' Bucky asked.

'No- it's just me and Katrin- and she obviously won't be worried about me,' Thea forced out.

'Okay, let's go, kiddo. Peter can show you to one of the spare rooms,' Bucky pulled her to her feet and then left via the doors that had slid open at the back of the quinjet.

Thea followed him tentatively, and despite everything that had just happened, she was in awe the moment she saw the compound. It had to be at least five floors high, with huge windows and a bold silver 'A' symbol on each wall. The building was high tech and modern, and when the group entered the place, they were addressed by an unplaceable voice.

'Mr Parker, Mr Wilson, Sergeant Barnes, Ms Maximoff, welcome home,' Thea flinched as the voice echoed around the foyer, trying to locate where it came from.

Peter laughed softly next to her. 'That's FRIDAY. She's the AI that runs this place. Say hi, FRIDAY?'

'Hello, Peter. Who is the visitor? Facial recognition is not finding a match.'

'This is Thea. She won't be in the system, but she will be staying here for while,'

'OK, adding her face into the system now-' The AI trailed off for a moment. 'Done. Is there anything else I can do for you?'

'No thanks, FRIDAY,' Peter replied.

Thea was shocked. She'd never seen- well, heard, really- of an AI system running a building. This technology was beyond even HYDRA, and the Avengers were acting as if this was completely normal.

'Thea? You good?' Peter asked, and Thea realized she'd zoned out.

'Sorry.' Thea studied him, wondering how he was still talking to her after watching her kill someone. 'I just- a lot of stuff has happened,'