➖ CHAPTER ELEVEN

➖ "DO I LOOK OKAY?" KATHERINE ASKS FOR WHAT FEELS TO TONY LIKE THE FIFTIETH TIME in the past two hours.

His teenaged ward stood in his lab, and by the way her few duplicates wondering around kept flickering he knew that she was more than just nervous. "Thanks Mini Kat." The man says as one of her duplicates hands him a screw driver, before looking over his shoulder at her. "Kid, you look fine. He's a teenaged boy, trust me when I say that he's not going to care what you're wearing."

"What do you mean?" Katherine asks, tilting her head at him as JARVIS'S voice comes over the speaker to announce that Zander was waiting in the lobby for their date.

Tony shakes his head, forgetting how innocent she really was. "Nothing." He says, motioning towards the door to his lab as he sets his tool down. "I'll take you down. I suppose i should meet this kid, he's taking my daughter out after all."

Katherine rolls her eyes but follows after the man, fidgeting awkwardly with the hem of her skirt as she did. Natasha had insisted on not telling Clint about this, saying that he'd abort his mission just to come stalk them on their date.

The master assassin had also insisted on Katherine wearing makeup and she had to say that she wasn't really fond of the stuff.

As Tony stepped onto the elevator next to her the overwhelming urge to say or do something fatherly rises up within him and he decides not to ignore it as the elevator begins to go down. "You look beautiful, Katherine." He says after catching her silently messing with her outfit again. "And if he doesn't think so, he's blind and not worth your time."

"Thanks, Tony." Her face was flushed and she found herself fighting the urge to give him a hug. Instead, she smiles at him nervously, eyeing the numbers above the door as they count down.

Tony doesn't stop there, eyeing the floor numbers as well. "And you remember the self defense? Pepper spray in your bag?" Katherine nods, not used to being bombarded with fatherly questions like this. "And.. if you don't want to do anything with him, don't let him talk you into it or force you, Okay?"

"I know, Tony." She says, surprised that he would even be worried about that. "Zander isn't like that though.. he's sweet and a gentleman."

"Just wanted to be sure.." Tony says, watching as they pass floors five and four. Only a few seconds pass before they reach the lobby and the doors slide open. "That him?"

Standing by the receptionist desk with his head hung and his hands shoved into his pockets was the boy that made Katherine's heart flutter and her face heat every time she looked at him. He was dressed like usual, casual but stylish and she couldn't help but find it more attractive than usual.

"Yeah." She says softly, a smile forming on her face as she and Tony step out of the elevator together. "That's him."

Tony eyes the boy up as they walk towards him, finding nothing of real interest at first glance.

Zander looked up just as they were approaching and a smile broke out on his lips. His whole face lit up when his eyes landed on Katherine, making him look like he'd seen an angel or something.

"Kat, you look.. wow.." Zander was more nervous than usual, something about a first date with her just made him a little scared. Terrified really, that he would fuck it up and ruin any chance he had with her.

"Thanks." She says, looking down at her feet as Tony stops beside her. He clears his throat and both teenagers' attention moves to him. "Right, um, Dad this is Zander," Kat felt weird actually referring to him as Dad in person and she could tell that Tony felt the same way as he tensed at the word, as if scared of it. "Zander this is my dad, Tony."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Zander says, sticking out his hand for a handshake. He had full confidence right then, despite being petrified as the super hero stared down at him.

"Sure." Tony says, stiffly taking the boys hand when Katherine elbows his side. "Now, just what exactly are you doing with Kat tonight?" He bluntly dropped straight to the point, not wanting to pussy foot around by playing nice.

"Dad!" Katherine says, turning to face him with a glare before smiling reassuringly at Zander.

"Just.. just a movie and dinner sir.." Zander says, his eyes moving between the pair. "And I'll have her back before ten, i promise."

"Good." Tony says, arms crossed over his chest as he stared the boy down. He let Katherine stand next to her date and watched as Zander allowed her to loop her arm trough his. "And no horror movies, she'll get nightmares."

"Of course, Sir." Zander says, his attention now fully on Katherine as she stands so close to him.

Tony can tell from just one look how mi h Zander seemed to like Katherine and figured she was in safe hands for a few hours. "You can go then." That didn't mean he still wasn't going to be protective though.

Tony waited until they walked out of the building before telling JARVIS to have Bucky and Wanda meet him in the garage, pulling out his phone as he walked to the elevator.

He had a tracker on Katherine's phone and used it then to get her location. It would seem that they were eating dinner at the pizza restaurant across the street, which meant they'd probably be going to the movie theater two blocks away.

"You called for us?" Wanda's accented voice calls through the large garage as she and Bucky exit the elevator.

Bucky has been distracted that day, listening to Katherine get ready for her date as he paced his room. And now that she had left, he was a little nervous, or maybe it was angry. He wasn't sure.

Tony looked up from his phone as they stopped before him. "I have a mission." He says, causing them both to be at immediate attention. "I want you to tail Katherine and Zander. Keep it low key, don't let her figure it out."

"Why, Tony?" Wanda asks, eyebrows furrowed. She had only been awake for a couple days by then but had already formed a bond with Katherine and felt wrong spying on her date. "He's just a boy, nothing bad will happen to her."

"She can handle herself." Bucky says stiffly, very unhappy with the thought of having to actually watch her on a date with the boy. That angry feeling rose up within him once more as he pictured Zander asking her out, he didn't know why but it had been replaying in his head all day.

"I know she can." Tony says. "But this is her first date, a first experience for her. If something goes wrong, or if he goes to do something he shouldn't she's going to be too wrapped up in him to even notice that somethings up." He explains. "That's why I want you two on them, do it for her.. and so you can report to Clint that nothing bad happened because he found out and is already pissed."

"Fine."

➖ Katherine had a blast throughout their pizza dinner. The pair talked like they normally would and laughed, nothing felt weird or uncomfortable and Katherine loved it.

She enjoyed being out like this and laughing, for the first time ever she truly felt like a normal teenaged girl. She didn't have to hide with him, it was easy to be her and for a minuet she was so happy and wrapped up in Zander that she forgot what she was, she forgot that in reality she was a genetic experiment. She forgot that she could probably lose him if he were to ever find out her secret.

She just forgot and she loved it.

Wanda also seemed to love it, watching the young couple admiringly as they split a pizza, the same one she was splitting with Bucky. "They're cute together."

Bucky looks up from his fourth slice of pizza at her voice, his fist clenching once more as he follows her gaze. Zander was standing from his seat, pulling out his wallet as Katherine stood and grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair.

Wanda glances over at him when he doesn't answer and takes instant note of his look before looking inside of his head. A smirk spread on her face and she almost burst out laughing.

"You're jealous of him!" She thought it funny, and couldn't resist pinching his cheeks as she teased him.

Bucky pushes her hands away and stands, rolling his eyes as she laughs. He doesn't deny or agree with her statement though. "They're leaving."

Wanda throws her head and laughs as Bucky stands from the table, throwing a twenty into the surface of the table top before offering his hand to Wanda. It was a gentleman habit from before he was taken by HYDRA that he just couldn't shake.

Wanda allowed him to help her up but quickly lead them out of the shop after Zander and Katherine, not wanting to lose them on the bustling streets of the city.

"What tickles your fancy, miss Stark?" Zander asks, looking over at the girl with a small smile as she looped her arm through his again.

They were stood outside of the movie theater, waiting in line to get tickets. Katherine looked around, her eyebrows furrowed as she thought. She's never been to the movies before.

"Um," Her eyes landed on a poster of a movie that seemed to depict some kind of adventure through the forest. "That looks good."

"Jumanji?" Zander asks, his interest peaked. "That movie is awesome!" He pulled out his wallet as they moved up in the ticket line and payed for the two of them before leading Katherine inside of the movie theater.

"I love the smell of movie theaters." He says as they walk towards the snack counter. "Something about the smell of the popcorn and food makes me remember summers from my childhood." Katherine listened to him intently as she looked over the snack menus. "My father worked all the time and my mom was always busy planning someone's wedding, so my sister and I would spend our days watching every movie they were playing."

"That sounds.. lonely." Katherine says, deciding that popcorn with light butter would be best, and maybe a slushee. She's never had one of those before.

"Not really." Zander shrugs, moving forward in the line. "Back then Selena and I were each other's best friends, we didn't need anyone else." Zander felt himself grow a little sad but shook it from his mind and focused on Katherine instead. "What do you want?"

"Do you want popcorn?" Bucky asks Wanda stiffly from where they stand in line, five couples behind Zander and Katherine.

"Um, duh!" Wanda says, twisting slightly out of boredom as she tried to get a glance of Katherine and Zander. She wasn't as tall as Bucky and wasn't capable of seeing over everyone. "We're at a movie theater, James, that shouldn't even be a question."

"Well, it is." He mutters, his fist clenching as she calls him James. Or maybe it was because Zander wrapped his arm around Katherine's shoulder and pulled her into them as they walked up to the cashier.

He wasn't sure why he always got a little angry whenever he watched Zander touch her or whenever Katherine talked about him. It just happened and he didn't like it.

He wasn't apart of her personal life, he had no say in what she did so why did the things she do affect him so?

"That's so cute!" Wanda gushed as she watches the new couple from her spot. She had peaked around the people standing in front of her in time to see Katherine wrap her arm around Zander's middle in response to his around her.  "Oh, sorry." She says quickly, her face heating slightly as she turns back to Bucky. She caught the fleeting look of anger and annoyance on his face at her comment and instantly felt bad.

"Do you want a drink?" Bucky asks even more stiffly than before as they move up to the register. Zander and Katherine had already moved off to the theater the movie was playing in and the few couples before them moved to other lines.

"Blue slushee!" Wanda says excitedly, forgetting the task at hand. She hadn't been to the movies in a long time, since before her brother died in Sokovia.

➖ Nearly two hours later the two adults followed the teens out into the now darkened street, watching closely as they talked animatedly about the movie.

"The part where she realized she was playing as a dude killed me!" Katherine says, still laughing as they begin their walk down the crowded sidewalk. She wasn't paying much attention to anyone but Zander and didn't notice that a woman wearing all black seemed to be waiting for them to exit. "And when he expl-"

"Aloisia!" The woman exclaims, pushing herself off of the brick wall of the building as the young couple drew closer. "Aloisia is that you?"

Bucky narrowed her eyes at the mention of the name, his eyes landing on the woman. A flash back from his Winter Soldier days crossed his mind and he instantly knew who the woman was.

"She's trouble, yes?" Wanda asks, noticing how Bucky tensed in a way that wasn't involving anger. She followed him as they maneuvered closer to the three in a way that wouldn't alert them that they were there.

"I'm sorry?" Katherine says, head tilted to the side. Zander pulled her behind him slightly, feeling that something was off about the woman as he looked at her.

She bore a strikingly similar resemblance to Kat with her dark pool of brown eyes and her same button nose and slightly sculpted cheek bones. The only thing they didn't have in common was their hair.

"Aloisia, it's me, mother.." The woman says. Katherine grows even more confused.

Zander noted that where the woman's facial features made her appear strict and harsh, beautiful in the darkest way, Kat's made her appear innocent and adorable. "Kat, do you know this woman?"

Katherine shook her head, a strange feeling rising inside of her chest. A feeling that made her nervous, scared. It was like she knew this woman, but she couldn't remember ever meeting her. Surely she'd remember meeting someone so beautiful, right?

"I-I'm sorry, im afraid i don't know you." She says politely, squeezing Zander's arm as she just now noticed he had positioned her behind him. "And my name is Katherine.."

The woman appeared to take on a sad expression and gives the couple an apologetic look. "My apologies, you just look so much like my Aloisia.. the resemblance is uncanny."

Bucky and Wanda watch on, ready to get defensive if the woman tries to attack and don't relax until Katherine is at the front doors of the tower. 

The witch twin and the winter soldier stood back and watched as Zander bade Katherine goodnight, giving the teen a hug and promising to meet her for coffee before school the next day. He waited until the lobby doors closed behind her before walking in their direction, hands stuffed in his pockets.

Wanda grabbed Bucky's hand and pretended to laugh at something he said as Zander neared, in order to keep him from thinking they were following him as she noticed that he had almost caught them a couple times throughout the night.

The ruse quickly ended though as a black town car pulled up on the side of the curb and a driver got out, seeming to startle Zander. "Mr. French, my apologies for being late."

Zander relaxed as he realized who it was, paying no mind to the two as they walked past him on the sidewalk. "Don't worry, Gary."

The last thing Bucky heard of their conversation before Zander got into the car and they walked into the building was Gary asking how the date had gone.

➖ It was two-thirty in the morning by the time Bucky decided he would try to get some sleep. His feet made almost no noise as he walked down the hallway that housed the sleeping avengers (a newly arrived Clint Barton, who dropped his plans with his family upon hearing of Katherine's date, included) and he payed no mind to all of the closed doors.

Until he came to his anyway.

The now purple painted door across from his was stood wide open, the large room was barely illuminated by the desk lamp by the window, which curtains were open for once. Katherine was nowhere in sight upon first glance, which caused him a moment of panic that lead him to step into her room.

"Katherine?" His deep voice reverberate through the room and a small squeak of surprise was his response. He followed the noise around to the other side of the bed, where Katherine sat on the floor in an Indian style position, staring up at him. "It's almost three in the morning, you should be asleep."

Katherine shrugs in response as Bucky slides down next to her, moving her gaze back to the lit up buildings of New York that stood just outside of her window. Even from by her bed she could make out street lights and the lights of cars down below.

"I find it to be oddly beautiful at night." She says quietly after a few minuets, feeling herself relax a little more with Bucky sitting next to her. "All the lights and the sky. Although I wish I could see the stars, I think it would be much more beautiful."

"There is nothing more beautiful than a night sky full of stars." Bucky says, flash backs from countless nights he spent with Steve when they were children where they would just stare up at the night sky and ponder life. He thought of all the times he stared up at the stars and wished for home when he was in the army, all of the times he found a sense of who he was supposed to be when he was with HYDRA. All because of the stars.

"I've never seen one." Katherine says in a dreamy sort of voice. Bucky turned his head to look at her, eyebrows furrowed. He knew that she had been kept from a lot of normal things as a ward of SHIELD but had they never let her see even the simplest of things such as a starry sky? "Have you seen many?"

"Hundreds, thousands maybe." He says in a quieter tone, not wanting to ruin the peace. "They're beautiful. Something about all of the stars is just comforting to look at, it's like.. it's like you're seeing the whole universe from one little spot even though you're not." The look of pure happiness on her face was a gift that Bucky thoroughly enjoyed as he spoke about the stars, it was something that he wanted to keep seeing so he made yet another promise. "I'll take you to the country side sometime, and I'll show you all of the constellations.. you'll love it, I promise."

"I'd like that." This promise would hopefully be much easier to keep than the one he had made to her previously.

They sag in silence for a few more minuets and Bucky found himself relaxing easily for once. He wondered if it was the lighting of the room causing an easy atmosphere, or perhaps it was Katherine beside him. He hadn't been able to really relax since the night she had slept in his bed during the thunder storm.

"Do you like him?" He asks, referring to Zander. He could see that he made her happy and excited on the Outside , but wondered if she felt the same on the inside. "Zander?"

Katherine ponders his question, leaning back against the side of her bed, closer to him than she had been before. "Yeah, I like him." She says, eyes closed as a smile eases onto her face at the memories of their date. "He's nice, sweet.. every time I look at him I get this weird feeling in my chest, like my heart is going to burst out and my face flushed and.. and I can't help but smile whenever I'm near him."

Bucky purses his lips, glancing over at her. Her smile wasn't as happy as the one she had when he was talking about the stars and he wondered if there was something about him that didn't make her happy. Something about him that she didn't like.

"It seemed like your date went well, from what I over heard you telling Natasha." Katherine hummed.

"It was great." Great, he noted, not amazing just.. great. For some reason he liked that and felt a bit of smugness that the date hadn't been everything she was probably expecting. "the movie we saw was funny, and dinner was great but it was just.. I don't know I felt like maybe he was a bit nervous. Scared almost."

"Well, he had just met your father." He says, trying to hide a pleaser smirk. He wasn't sure why he was happy about it not living up to her expectations but he was.

"True.."

The two talked for a while, and Bucky told her stories of his days growing up with Steve until the sun began to come up. He glanced down at her after noticing a light pressure on his shoulder and found Katherine to be fast asleep, a completely relaxed and content expression resting on her face.

"Good morning, Katherine Nicole." He says quietly, gently scooping her into his lap before he stood up with her and placed her on her bed. She still had an hour before she had to be up for school, he figured he should let her sleep some more.

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