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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄

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Charlie shoved her phone back into her pocket after ending the call with her father before leaving Peter's lab. When she got back into the living room, she was greeted by Alex awkwardly sitting on the couch while Peter watched her like a hawk. An unexpected wave of irritation washed over the Barton girl as she stood by the door and watched the Parker boy. Even though she hadn't known the young speedster for long, the archer felt protective over her and somehow felt responsible for her actions. The last time she felt this way was when she first met the Maximoff twins.

Knowing she had to get the teenage boy out of her apartment for Alex to start trusting her, Charlie let out a small sigh before making her way over to Peter's side. As soon as she reached the Parker boy, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Her actions caused him to break his stare away from the redhead to meet his mentor's soft gaze.

"You should probably start heading home. Don't you have some homework to finish for tomorrow?" Charlie said then was greeted by one of his skeptical looks and he opened his mouth to respond, only for the Barton girl to cut him off before he even had a chance to start, "I know your training is important to you, Pete, but we don't want your grades to suffer. Remember the deal we made?"

The Parker boy just stared at her for a long moment before uncrossing his arms and sending the Barton girl a small nod. Peter sent one last pointed look Alex's way as he picked up his backpack and some equipment he brought then he walked out of the apartment. Once the door closed behind him, Charlie turned her attention back to Alex to find her staring back at her with a confused look on her face.

"Was it something I said?"

"Just ignore him, he gets a bit paranoid when new people cross his path. He'll warm up to you...eventually," Charlie told her while pinching the bridge of her nose before looking back up at Alex.

The Barton girl stayed behind the couch as she watched the redhead get to her feet and make her way into the kitchen. Alex didn't hesitate to look into the fridge for a moment before pulling out a water bottle and a slice of pizza. After getting what she wanted, she walked back over and sat on the couch once again. It wasn't long after that when Charlie took a seat in the chair facing her.

"So, who'd you call to take me away?" Alex asked the older girl after studying her and taking a bite of her pizza.

"I didn't call anyone to take you away," the Barton girl told her, only to a skeptical look from the speedster sitting across from her.

"I heard you talking about me on the phone. That usually means someone is gonna come get me. Most people don't want me sticking around for long."

"Well, I'm not like most people."

"I know. You're an Avenger," the redheaded speedster scoffed as she took another bite of the food in her hands before making herself more comfortable by propping her feet up on the coffee table, "that word just means you have friends in the government and other high places. It's just easier for you to find someone to take me away."

"I only worked with the Avengers one time," Charlie corrected the girl once again as she fiddled with her fingers, "and even if I had friends in the government, I wouldn't call them to take you away. That's not how I work."

For some reason that the Barton girl couldn't explain, her final words caught the girl's attention. The archer didn't move as the speedster sat up faster than humanly possible and placed her bottle of water and pizza on the table. Alex just sat there for a moment longer then appeared in front of Charlie before the latter could get a full thought through her head. The two of them just studied each other once again in silence, scanning the other over and taking in any piece of information they could get.

Alex was about the same height as her, give or take a few inches. Her orange hair seemed like it was a few shades darker than it should be and her hazel eyes looked as if they saw more of the world than they should've. Her clothes looked as though they hadn't been washed or even changed in a few weeks, maybe a month. Her hair looked about the same, which could explain the somewhat strange color. Alex looked like she'd been through the wringer more times than Charlie could count, especially since she looked to be around Peter's age.

"How do you work then?" she asked, breaking the silence while keeping a blank expression on her face.

"I guess...like an Avenger," Charlie smirked as she held back a laugh at the slight irritation that passed over Alex's face, "I help people. And if you need help, I'm willing to do that. If you wanna leave and continue living whatever life you had, I'm not gonna stop you."

The smile on her face never faded as the Barton girl continued to scan over the younger girl's face. When she caught the hint of curiosity in Alex's eyes that was almost unnoticeable, Charlie took that as her opportunity to get to her feet before heading towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" the ginger-haired girl questioned right as the Barton girl's hand wrapped around the doorknob.

"I'm going downstairs to train," Charlie answered before glancing over her shoulder and back in Alex's direction, "you're welcome to join me. Just use the elevator to go to level B1. The code is 743876."

After closing the door of the apartment behind her, the archer made her way over to the elevator in the hall before entering the small metal room. Her finger gently pressed the button for B1 before entering the code that she came up with the moment she moved into her new home. As soon as she hit the last number, the light turned green and the elevator began to travel down. Silence surrounded Charlie while she traveled towards her destination before her journey came to its end. Chills ran up and down her spine as the elevator doors opened to reveal the large soundproof training room that S.H.I.E.L.D. set up for her.

Once the goosebumps faded from her arms, the Barton girl walked over to the punching bag and began to train for the first time since the battle of Sokovia. She'd been down here a few times since she first moved in but Peter was the only one who actually used this space to practice. Charlie would usually stand to the side and coach him. She never got involved or even thought about going through the steps with him.

As her fist hit the bag for the tenth time, the sound of the elevator doors opening cut through the silence. Charlie instantly turned towards the source of the sound to find Alex slowly walking toward her with a curious look on her face. A small smile formed on the archer's face as she watched the speedster look around the room in awe before her eyes landed back on the blonde girl standing in front of her.

"In all honesty, I wish I could forget about everything I've been through and give up my abilities," Alex hesitated for a moment as she stared at the older girl in front of her before letting out a long sigh then continued speaking, "but I know that isn't and never will be an option."

"Sometimes you need a second chance because you weren't ready for your first," Charlie told the younger girl as the grin on her face slightly grew, "this could be your second chance, Alex, but only you can decide what you want."

"What I want is to be able to protect myself and not feel helpless ever again."

"Okay then. Let's get started."

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As soon as she got back into her room after their long training session, Charlie took a hot shower and changed into comfortable clothing before she grabbed an extra pair for Alex. The Barton girl then made her way out of her room and headed to her guest room. Not a moment passed after she knocked on the door before it slowly opened to reveal the young speedster with damp hair and a face clear of all dirt and muck. The smile on the blonde girl's face slightly faltered at the sight of the redhead wearing the same worn-out clothes she found her in.

"I thought you could use some fresh clothes," Charlie said as she placed them in Alex's hands.

The teenage girl just stared at the clothing for a moment while keeping her emotionless expression before a hint of gratitude flashed across her face. "Thank you. I guess I'll change."

"You can put your old clothes in the laundry basket if you want to keep them. I'm gonna be in the kitchen if you wanna join me for dinner."

"I'll be there in a second."

After she closed her door, Charlie turned around and headed into the kitchen to start making macaroni and cheese. Thoughts about Pietro begin to fill my head while she stirred the noodles that were boiling in the water. It wasn't long before she heard Alex's footsteps against the tiles. The smile on her face grew once again as she glanced back at the younger girl, only to find an angry look on the teen's face as she clutched a picture frame tightly in her hands.

"Where did you get this?" she questioned before she turned the frame towards Charlie, revealing the picture of Wanda and Pietro that the telekinetic gave her.

"It was a gift. I'm sure you heard that they helped the Avengers back in Sokovia."

"Yeah, I know, but why do you have it? Pietro would never let this out of his sight."

Charlie hesitated for a moment as she took in Alex's words while trying to find the correct response to explain what happened a year ago. Before her thoughts could finish racing through her head, the speedster appeared in front of her and forced the Barton girl against the wall.

"Why do you have it?!"

"Wanda gave it to me," Charlie explained while keeping the straightest face she could muster as she continued to keep eye contact with Alex, "after Pietro...after he...sacrificed himself to save me and a boy who got separated from his sister in Sokovia."

As soon as she finished listening to the archer's explanation, Alex's anger slowly faded before she let go of Charlie's shirt. The speedster stared at the Barton girl for a long moment then she turned around and made her way to her couch. She sat down and just stared at the floor in front of her before running her hands through her hair to try and keep her raging emotions at bay.

"You're Dria, aren't you?"

"That's me," she whispered just loud enough for Charlie to hear before she let out a long sigh and continued speaking, "Wanda would help me get through the nightmares that came from whatever the HYDRA agents used to give me my abilities. And Pietro...Pietro would help me learn to control. Even though I was the first test subject, I couldn't get a handle on them. He would show me that I needed to control them, not the other way around. He...he promised I would never be alone again."

"Pietro mentioned you once before...he said they went back for you but you were gone."

"I ran when I had the chance. You don't get many of those when you're one of HYDRA's prized possessions. I tried looking for him and Wanda but never found them. He shouldn't have gotten himself killed."

"He died a hero, Alex. After everything he went through, he left this world a hero."

"But now I'm alone."

"I wouldn't say that," Charlie told the redheaded girl, causing Alex to look up at her with a hint of confusion in her eyes. But the Barton girl simply responded with a small smile. "If Pietro promised you that you'd never be alone, then I intend on keeping his promise."

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