*A Month Later*

Crouching low, my entire body pressed against the rough bark of the branch I'm on, I wait. Green branches sway above me and shakily frame the night sky. It's a good night to do this, thankfully. The New Moon makes it so there is no light but the manufactured kind. A dirt path lies below us with tracks in it from multiple trucks carrying poached goods; ivory, meat, trophies. And something we'd just learned about earlier this evening; children.

"You know, I remember this being a simple mission when it first started." Okoye points out and my eyes reflexively look across the road to where she should be hiding despite the fact that I can't see her. Jac activates night vision and her warmth become clear to me. I smirk.

"I believe I'm the one who has to leave in the morning, which is only a few hours away, so I don't know what you're upset about." I return and see her head swivel my way.

"We didn't have time for dinner! I'm starving." I hum a quiet laugh and look down the road to the tree nearest me. Nakia lays as I do and is shaking her head slightly.

"Besides, this is more important. The first mission out with the princess is nothing to be upset about." My smirk turns into a more genuine smile.

"First cleared mission you mean. I believe that during her first week here she disappeared one day and caught smugglers in the province nearest us with that cute boy of hers." There is laughter on her tongue and a soft, amused hum comes from Nakia in response.

"Okoye..." I disapprove before hearing the quiet rumble of engines. "Here they come." Three trucks just as we thought, shiver down the hill towards us. Firm in the plan of action, my fingers dig into the bark of the tree. I scan the heat signatures quickly before reporting. "Two men in the front of each car, each carrying about ten to fifteen children. All men are armed."

"Ugh, guns." Okoye murmurs.

"Right. Stay to course." Nakia says before we all burst into action. Okoye takes the first car, simply landing lithely on the hood and using her spear to reach in the car and slit the men's throats. I'm next, swinging through their open window into the bench seat. The man in the passenger seat reaches for me and I break his arm, then punch his throat to prevent a scream. I open the door and shove him out before turning back to the driver. A gun fires and I feel the searing pain glide across my forearm. With an annoyed grunt, I twist the gun out of his hand then ram his head into the steering wheel before taking over. He falls out of the car with a little shove towards the open door. Okoye's car comes to a stop a little before mine and we exit, looking back to find Nakia fared just as well. A quick glance at my arm reveals it's only a flesh wound. A graze at best. We each move to the back and open the doors to find little boys and girls curled up together, but one stands and aims a gun at me. My night vision fades to reveal a dark-skinned boy with an AK in his hands.

"Baya kundibulala ukuba andibulali." He tells me with shaking hands and fear swimming in his eyes. My hands raise and I nod. Roughly, he says they will kill me if I don't kill you.

"Ukhululekile. La madoda ahambe." I speak carefully, knowing my grip of the language isn't the best. I told him he is free and that the men are gone. His eyes search the area behind me, apparently realizing that the men would have come around if I was lying. "Faka isikhali phantsi." Gently, I tell him to put the weapon down. His brown eyes bore into me. I put out a hand. Carefully, he lowers the gun into it. A sigh of relief leaves my lips as I unload the weapon and toss it to the wayside. "Enkosi. Ukhuselekile ngoku. Uvelaphi?" I ask the group where they're from.

"Kwimigodi kwiphondo." A girl in the back responds, her bright red and orange tainted by dirt and leftover blood on the floor. Should have known by the color of her clothes that they're from the mining province. I nod.

"Sizakukubuyisela apho." I promise to get them back and walk over to the side to talk with Okoye and Nakia. Okoye spins her spear before setting the blunt end on the ground.

"Princess, are you hurt?" She asks with furrowed brows. Taking the scarf from my hair, I wrap it around the superficial wound.

"Barely," I respond and she nods once, taking my word.

"My van is from the mining province." She says.

"Same here." We turn to Nakia. Her head shakes.

"Border Tribe. Trade?" She raises an eyebrow teasingly at Okoye and I smirk at the obvious tease.

"Either way, we need to go. I've got to make it back to the palace before sunrise." I back-up towards the truck and they nod, switching cars so Okoye can take the children back to her husband's province. I tell the children to stay put and climb into the front, driving fast behind Nakia. Suddenly a little hologram appears of that cute boy Okoye was talking about earlier.

"So, you couldn't go a month without sneaking out somewhere, huh?" He teases, a sleepy and handsome smile on his face.

"Would've brought you, but I know you and Shuri were up late talking all brainy." His quiet laugh is music to my ears. "Plus, I thought if you were up before I got back you might pack a little for me?" I phrase it as a question and hear his sweet laugh again. The camera shifts to reveal a couple of bags by the door.

"Packed and ready to go." The hologram shifts back to Peter's cute face. "You forget how well I know you." He teases and the grin on my face is starting to hurt my cheeks. "Did the mission go well?" I nod.

"Everything's good. Headed back to the mining province, then I'll be back at the palace at sunrise. Save me some breakfast?"

"You got it, babe. See you soon." The call ends and I focus back on the dirt road.

After making sure the children were all back safe with their families, which took longer because the parents wanted to thank us, Nakia and I speed back to the palace in the stolen trucks. We pull into the lower level and meet with Okoye as we all slide out of the cars hurriedly. Side by side, we walk briskly through the halls. "I must say, I will miss this," Nakia says with an entertained smile on her face.

"Getting back in the morning after a night of no sleep?" I tease and she barks out a laugh.

"Going on missions with someone like-minded and stubborn enough to get Okoye to tag along." Okoye scoffs and shakes her head.

"I do not think it is foolishness to obey the orders of our King. We were only supposed to take out the poachers." Okoye points out.

"Which we did! Just got a little extra done while we were there. No harm in that, General." She faces me with a wide smile and a slight head shake.

"Not counting the bullet graze on your arm, Princess?" She shoots back, wit sharp as a razor. My eyes roll. "Shuri will scold you for it. You should have taken the suit she offered." Okoye continues scolding me and it reminds me a little of a certain soldier I should be seeing soon.

"I'm just a little fond of the suits I have, but perhaps I'll accept it now." I relent and both women hum. "Anyway, there's no reason why T'Challa should know about this particular part of the mission." Okoye laughs and looks at me with raised eyebrows.

"You think I will keep this from the King?" She questions and Nakia sighs just as we enter the lab only to find T'Challa standing in the doorway.

"What...are we keeping from me?" He asks with a smile on his lips and amusement in his eyes.

"My King." Okoye places a fist over her heart as Nakia and I simply dip our heads in respect. "The mission...became a bit more complicated." She starts as his eyes are drawn to the black and white scarf wrapped around my arm.

"And is that why my little sister's arm is now bleeding?" He questions and steps aside so we can all head into the lab.

"She's what?" Shuri pops from around the twirling ramp and her eyes find the wound immediately. "I told you that you should have taken the suit!" She exclaims and Okoye not so subtly meets my eyes as an I told you so. I shrug with my good side. Shuri walks over and hands me a leaf before crushing others in a poultice. "Come sit down. Eat that." I put the leaf in my mouth and follow her over, sitting on a stool when she sets it up. The leaf immediately dissolves in my mouth and the pain quickly fades. I sigh in relief.

"Thank you. And everything about the mission went well, there was just more going on than we first thought." I tell T'Challa as Shuri unbinds the scarf from my arm. A quick tap has my suit melting away so the wound is clear to see.

"Everything went well?" He questions with a small upward turn of his lips as he considers the open flesh and smearing of blood. I smile sheepishly.

"The poachers were smuggling children out as well for illegal labor. Technically, the mission was to stop the poachers and we accomplished that. We just also saved the children and returned them home." Nakia explains smoothly and T'Challa's eyes on her are soft.

"And all before sunrise." He sighs and looks between the three of us. "It appears that you all will never stop surprising me. Or impressing me." His eyes linger on me and I hiss when Shuri starts to apply the poultice. She looks at me only slightly apologetically.

"Sorry, but you should have taken the suit. Since you are leaving today, I will have to wrap it. And you are taking the suit with you." She says forcefully despite the tenderness of her fingers on the graze. A smile pulls at my lips.

"I would be honored to take it." I return and her fierce expression fades into soft affection.

"And make sure you tell your Captain what happened. I do not wish to be blamed for your injury." T'Challa says and crosses his arms. A light chuckle leaves my lips.

"Trust me, he'll know the minute he sees me."

After Shuri wraps my arm and gifts me a small pocket-sized holder for more leaves to help with the pain, we all head out to the airfield. Peter is already here tossing our few bags into the Royal Talon Fighter. His eyes find me and his face lights up in a big smile. At least, before he sees the bandage on my arm. "I'm fine." I immediately insist as he jogs over to meet us. I step out of the line and hold up my arm so he can see the bandaging. "Shuri bandaged it, so you don't have to worry about it." His brown eyes meet mine concernedly, but with zero surprise.

"The Captain will notice that." He tells me and I sigh.

"Yes, he will. Did you grab everything?" I question and he nods with a small, knowing smile on his lips.

"I've always been the better packer out of the two of us."

"You've always been the more organized of the two of us." I return and his smile widens. We both turn to face the group that came up with me; Okoye, Shuri, T'Challa, and Nakia. "Thank you for welcoming me here and teaching me. Although I'm sure I'll keep learning when I come back." I place my fist over my heart and tilt my head towards the four.

"And thanks for your patience with all my questions. Appreciate it." Peter scratches the back of his neck with a nervous smile before copying my stance.

"We are glad to have you and even more so because of the discoveries made. Wakanda will miss their new Princess." T'Challa flatters me. "Princesses, I suppose." He sighs as Shuri turns to face the group with Peter and me.

"I'll look after her more than myself, despite the fact that she doesn't need me to," I assure him and the group smiles.

"And I will be there to stitch her up when she inevitably gets injured again."

"I said I'd take the suit-"

"The point is, we will all look after one another." Peter surmises and both Shuri and I grin over at him. "Should be going anyway, Jo, if we want to get there tonight." I nod.

"Make sure you find something to practice your spear moves with. You're doing well." Okoye tells me and I smile at the reminder. She nods and steps back just a little behind T'Challa. His eyes scan Shuri and me with a little conflict within them.

"It'll be strange now without the two of you." He starts slowly. Shuri grins.

"Sounds like you're very close to saying you'll miss us, brother." She teases and I see him resist rolling his eyes.

"It's nice to have a chance to miss you, sister." He shakes his head at her and they hold out their hands, doing a quick handshake before a brief hug. Then she turns and heads up to the Fighter with Peter just behind. T'Challa and I meet eyes. "You'll take care of yourself?" I smirk at the familiar words.

"And come back soon with Shuri and I both in one piece. I will." I promise him and he nods. He holds out a hand and I take his forearm as he grasps mine. He smiles and hesitates a moment before stepping forward and hugging me gently. I return it, a bit surprised, but willing. He steps back and nods before walking back into the slight outcropping throwing shade over the doors. Nakia follows but pauses just before.

"There's a collapsible spear in your pack." She murmurs and shoots me a wink before joining T'Challa. Chuckling, I spin and head onto the fighter, taking off as soon as the hatch is shut.

"Jo, please don't go as fast as you usually do-" Peter's words are cut off by Shuri's laugh as I hit full speed through the mirage. Home here we come.

A/N

And this is really the end. Thank you so much for riding this crazy rollercoaster with me. Your comments, your votes, just your support means so much to me. You're amazing. And remember! Just because this story is over doesn't mean the reading stops. There are many other stories on my profile and on this website. Besides, the story is with you now.

Keep reading, loves!