Within the next minute, we're zooming down the drive on my sturdy red motorcycle. Peter's arms are tight around me and he's pressed tight against me, just how I like it. I've kept myself from reaching back into his mind, but if the way his arms are holding onto me is any indication, he misses me just as much as I miss him. We arrive on the scene and it's obviously not going well.

Tony's in the suit with no helmet corralling the small crowd that's getting strangely rowdy. Steve's at his side, but looks frustrated himself, although he hides it well. Sam is overhead, most likely keeping watch over the situation. Bucky and Natasha are together on the other side of the shield. They spot us first as I park and dismount. "Hey." I greet them both. "The hell is going on?" Bucky sighs as his plates shift from frustration.

"Some kids were messing around last night and one ran into the shield. Was taken to the hospital with a concussion and broken nose." Bucky reports and my brow furrows.

"That's not possible. The shield I made has give. You'd more likely get a concussion running into a mattress." Natasha crosses her arms with a clearly irritated look on her face.

"Not sure if the story is a completely true one, but what matters is the people believe it." Natasha gestures to the pissed mob that we're luckily out of sight from for now.

"So, what do we do?" Peter questions. Natasha and Bucky glance at each other.

"Take the shield down and the people will calm but be in danger being so close. Deal with the people, who knows what happens." Bucky answers indecisively and we all look over at them. Thoughts fly through my head before I decide on a course of action.

"Okay. I'll take the shield down then go towards the people to deal with them. Peter should stay at my back to block the people from coming forward into the danger zone. Deal?" Both veterans smile.

"Deal, kiddo. Careful." Bucky tells me and both adults jog back to their place along the shield. My eyes go to Peter's mask.

"Ready for this?" I question. Peter shrugs.

"Watching your back is most of what this relationship is...was, so I'd say I'm ready." He tries to tease and I sigh in response before we run the front of the shield. My hand reaches out and absorbs some of the energy so my hand can break the membrane. I grab a pole and tug it out of the ground to disturb the signal. The orb falls and I release the energy. Peter and I nod at each other before I take a breath, then head to where Tony and Steve stand. Now that I'm closer, I see a few of those same cops I healed last night keeping the crowd at bay. They've seriously earned a day off.

"Tony, you can head back. They need you." I tell him aloud before meeting his amber eyes. "Clean up the area as fast as possible. Use Sam to help you. Someone is trying to turn the people against the team and I'd rather no one be put in danger."

"You and me both, Josie." He responds and pecks my forehead before waving to the crowd and heading up. Steve's eyes meet mine with a warning in them.

"Angry people, Jo."

"I got it, I got it," I assure him and face the people in front of me. While not exactly the best at dealing with people, I've grown in the past few months. "I understand you are all rightly upset about what happened to the young boy here, but we need you to disperse for your own safety."

"Safety?" My eyes zero in on a man in blue, pink lips screwed up in a sneer. "You're the one that caused the boy's injuries!" My temper flares at the wrong accusation, but I swallow it. Fear breeds anger. Take care of the fear and the anger will dissipate. Hopefully.

"Actually, that isn't possible." I hold my hands out and create a small shield in my hands. Carefully, I walk past the cops and into the crowd despite Steve's clear mental objections. The people back away from me as if I have the plague. "My shields have give, like an inflated balloon or a trampoline. Here." I offer it to a woman with dark hair who has more curiosity than fear coming off her. Dark eyes meet mine as she gingerly pokes it. Her finger is absorbed slightly but then bounces back with no harm but the hair on her arms standing on end. I smile at her and she gifts me a tentative one in return.

"She's telling the truth!" She shouts while I continue around the small group so as many people as possible can test my words.

"So, the boy was lying?" The same man speaks up and this time, everyone turns towards him, exiling him from the group. The ball in my hands fades as I work my way towards him.

"Thought the kid was unconscious? Who told you about the accident, anyway?" Peter questions and Steve's eyes sharpen.

"Jo." He calls and I reach out to the stranger, reading his surface thoughts easily.

"He's the bomber." No sooner have the words left my mouth than he runs. I sprint out from the crowd and drop a shield in front of him no bigger than a door. He bounces off it and to the ground where the cops pick him up no worse for wear. Steve appears next to me and chuckles.

"Well, if that doesn't prove it." His head shakes and we turn back to the crowd. Peter stays firm in his place to protect the people. "We still need all of you to move back for your own safety!" Steve announces and waves down the street. The people now move as he asks and he lets out a relieved sigh, blue eyes landing on me proudly. "Well done, Jo." He congratulates me, but my attention is called away by the same woman from earlier. She stops in front of me and takes my hand in hers with shining light brown eyes.

"Thank you." She insists. Her dark hands squeeze mine before I grab on too.

"Of course. It's my job." I assure her and she smiles before going after the group and into the arms of a waiting woman. Lips turned up in a smile, Steve shoots me a knowing look before jogging along with the group to a safe distance. I return to Peter and find the cleanup is going well. As long as Tony's bots don't fly near the puddles, there should be no explosions.

"Your job, huh? That sounds pretty permanent." Peter hints as his mask melts back to reveal that tousled hair I like so much and a teasing expression on his face. The corner of my mouth turns up.

"Yeah. I've decided I'm staying and becoming a permanent fixture on the team. Not going anywhere." I specify, still hoping we can talk. If he knows I'm staying maybe he'll be more confident in me.

"And so far, so good, Jo," Steve interjects, frustration gone and replaced by a familiar, proud smile. My head shakes as Peter shrugs in response, a smile threatening his lips.

"I'm going to head to the hospital to check on the kid. Be back within the hour." I go to peck Peter on the lips before I realize I can't do that. Awkwardly, I pat his shoulder and head to my bike.

"Keep your coms!" Steve reminds me and I slip the earpiece out of my pocket, wave it at him, before putting it in my ear. I mount my bike and speed only a couple blocks away to the nearest hospital. Quite a few eyes are on me as I walk through and head to the front desk. The young man looks up at me and blanches.

"Lightning Sense." He breathes and I smile, my mask melting back. Perhaps my absence and work lately has ingratiated me to the public.

"Hey. Looking for a young boy with a broken nose and concussion?" I ask and it takes him a moment to react. Fingers fly over keys before his awed blue eyes look back up at me.

"Room 113 just down the hall. Uh, could you sign this for me?" He unsticks a poster from under the counter and sets it in front of me. Affection hits me as I look at the picture. This was the first promo the Avengers did with me. Tony, Bucky, Sam, and Steve in the back with Natasha, Peter, and I in the front.

"Did I just hear Jo get asked for an autograph? Whew, superstar." Sam teases and I prevent myself from rolling my eyes. I look back up at the guy.

"Pen?" I request and he knocks a little tin over handing me one. My eyes catch on his nametag before signing. "Craig. Keep that spark in your eye." I tell him as I sign the same thing, then hand it back to him. Craig beams in response and looks a little bit like he might cry.

"A pun? God, Jo." Bucky groans and I shake my head slightly.

"Thanks," I tell him and jog away before tears start. "Can you all just do your job while I do this?" I scold the group and receive multiple laughs in return. "110, 111, 112, 113." Finally, I reach the room and open the door slowly. A little boy with skin a little darker than mine lays in the bed asleep. His face has been cleaned, but I can see a little bit of dried blood left around his nostrils. My eyes trail to his chart and I lift it slightly to read his name. Devon. "So, they didn't lie about your injuries, Devon..." I start, moving closer to his small form. Suddenly, there's an arm around my neck and my entire body is being pressed against the window by a man's. For a moment, all my training is gone and there's nothing but the fear filling my body. The panic. I freeze as oxygen is slowly cut off from my lungs.

"Don't touch him." A gravelly voice growls and the terror heightens. "I don't want anything to do with your kind. You're a disease." The man hisses.

"Jo, what's going on?" Steve calls. I gasp with no air to breathe in and shut my eyes. Focus, focus, focus. I am no longer powerless. My knees push out and get just enough distance between us and the wall to lift a leg and push back. We fly to the other side of the room, and I feel the breath leave his lungs at the impact. Desperately, I wriggle out of his arms and roll away from him, but one glance reveals that he's unconscious. "Jo?" Steve calls again sounding more concerned as I hack up a lung.

"Fine." I gasp, my voice rough and dry. "Father of the boy is a...radical against enhanced. He's...been taken...care of." I assure them and do my best to stand with a light head.

"We're on our way," Tony says with the same concern in his voice. I huff.

"No, I've...got this. I'll be heading back in a few minutes." I struggle to respond and cut the speaker for coms off. Taking him by the collar of his shirt, I open the door and drag him out. I stop the first nurse I see. "This man...is a criminal. Needs medical attention and...handcuffs. Call the police...when you can." I tell him between gasps. The man hesitates.

"Are you okay?" I nod and wave him on. He takes my word for it and waves another nurse over. The man is heaved onto a bed, then carried away. I walk back into the kid's room and shut the door. A stuttered breath shakes out of my lungs as my legs slip out from under me. Tears spark in my eyes as the panic returns from the place I stuffed it. Slowly, I sink to the floor and plunge my hands into my hair.

"Dad?" A little voice calls and my head snaps up to the kid. Oh, shit. Sniffling, I dry my cheeks quickly.

"Hey, uh, your dad is gone for now, okay?" I tell him scratchily as I stand and walk to his bedside. The fear wafting off him vanishes and suspicion creeps into my mind. "Did your dad do this to you?" My voice is soft and gentle as the kid's brown eyes scan me skittishly.

"You-you're Lightning Sense?" He asks incredulously.

"Mmhmm. It's my job to help people, Devon, so you can trust me. Is your dad the one that did this to you?" I ask, hand tender on his small one. Big brown eyes stare at me a couple of moments before he nods. Anger ripples through me, but I only emit comfort. This kid has been through enough. "Okay, listen. I'm going to heal you and you'll be able to get out of here without your dad. You never have to see him again, alright?" I tell him firmly and pools of tears gather in the little boy's eyes.

"Okay." He agrees and I push the energy into him.

"Alright. You can call me Jo, Devon, so we're not strangers anymore. Some police officers are going to come in here to talk to you and all you have to do is tell them the truth, okay? Do you have a mommy I could call?" His head shakes. Goddammit. Healing's done, but I still don't release his hand. Poor kid is scared and all alone in the world and I'm going to give him all the comfort I can while I'm here. "Any other family?" I ask and his lips purse while he thinks.

"Uh, nana. She lives in Pennsylvania." Thank god he has someone.

"Good. So, when the police get here, I'll tell them that and we'll see you get to her, alright? You like your grandmother?" He nods vigorously, finally breaking into a toothy grin. "Great." Soft knocking alerts me to the door opening to reveal two officers from the explosion. "Devon, these are some of my friends from the police force. They're going to help you find your nana and you can trust them, okay?" I squeeze his hand and he nods. "I'm going to talk to them for a second, but I'll come back before I leave." He nods and I leave him with one officer, taking the other just outside the door.

"Thanks again for the, uh, quick heal." She says a bit awkwardly. My lips quirk up at the corners and I wince when I clear my throat.

"Sure. So, Devon told me his father caused his injuries. He's being held somewhere else in the hospital with minor wounds. No mother, but he has a grandmother who lives in Pennsylvania." I report and she writes this down with a practiced hand.

"We'll look into it. Good of you to look in on the kid." We both glance through the glass as he talks to the other officer.

"Of course. Actually, call me if you have any problems or need something else." I ask and walk to the counter, leaning over and grabbing a card with a pen. I scrawl out the tower's number and hand it to the shocked officer. Dark eyebrows raise, but she takes it anyways.

"Jo, time to report back." Steve comes in and I sigh. He especially won't be happy about the red I'm sure is on my neck. I reach up and turn my coms back on.

"Got it, be there soon."

"Mean it this time, Josie?" Tony teases.

"Yes," I answer curtly and turn back to the officer. Officer Jalyn. She sighs at me and tucks the card away.

"I'll keep you appraised of the goings-on. You should get going. Get that throat checked out as well." She encourages and I nod. I duck back into the room and walk back to Devon's bedside. Scanning his little, now hopeful, face, I feel better about leaving. His brown eyes look at me and I take a breath.

"I've got to head out now, bud, but you're in really good hands. If you need me just call Officer Jalyn and I'll come to you. Got it? The Avengers are on your side." I assure him and smile at his grin.

"Okay, Jo." He says, obviously thinking it's amazing that he can say my real name. I nod once and hesitate before turning around. "Wait!" He calls and I turn only to find his arms wrapping around me. "Thanks." He whispers and I return the hug.

"Of course, Devon." We pull back and I run a hand over his short hair. "Remember what I said." He nods rapidly and I take one last look at him before walking out. I move fast, but apparently not fast enough for some members of the team. God fucking dammit.