NO WAY HOME SPOILERS AHEAD AND FOR ALL THE REST OF THE CHAPTERS
"What the fu-?!" Peter exclaimed with his hands on his head in shock but was interrupted by a car horn a few feet away. I
gaped at the screen, unable to process what just happened.
People started swarming us from below, taking pictures at our shocked faces and looked up at us. I shook my head, shaking away my thoughts and focusing on the problem at hand.
"We gotta go," Peter urged, taking my hand, preparing to swing away with me.
"No! Really?" I gasped sarcastically at his astute observation making him look at me.
"Is this really the time to be sarcastic?" He demanded gesturing to the cries of people beneath us.
"It's always a time to be sarcastic!" I shot back before flying ahead of him. He shot a web at the top of a nearby building and launched himself into the air next to me.
"Ohmygodsohmygodsohmygods," I rambled under my breath my mind racing. Everyone knew. Oh my gods, everyone knew. Everyone knew I was Tony Starks creation. Everyone knew I wasn't human. The whole world knew.
"It's fine, it's fine," Webs comforted but I didn't exactly know if he was comforting me or himself.
"Everyone thinks you're a killer and I'm a violent robot, how is that fine?!" I yelled over the wind around us as we flew away from the chaos before pausing. "Okay, I am a violent robot but they don't need to know that!"
We flew through the air until we landed on top of a large beam over a construction site, trying to catch our breath. I searched through the internet as Peter answered his ringing phone, Ned trying to call him. Every news site I analyzed was going crazy with the information, not one pausing to think about the clearly edited footage.
"Dude!" I heard Ned on Peters phone exclaim.
"Dude!" Peter repeated, freaking out with him.
"Dude!"
"Dude!" They yelled back and forth making me roll my eyes exasperatedly.
"Dude!" I shouted at both of them, stopping their little conversation short and gestured wildly to the news helicopter coming near us.
"Right sorry, sorry. I'll call you later," Peter signed off before hanging up on Ned and swinging down from the beam with me flying after him. He stuck a web onto a manhole cover and moved it from its hole.
"Are we seriously going to go through the sewers?!"
"You have a better plan?"
"Wha-maybe!" I responded with uncertainty but still got stuck having to fly into the tunnel to reveal a subway track underneath the streets. We weaved swiftly through the metal underground hall until we met the glowing lights of a subway car heading straight for us. We took a sharp right, barely missing the car and continued onward till we arrived at a cover on the streets of one of Delmars shops near Peters apartment and casually hopped out of the cover.
"You good?" I checked, knowing we both barely made it past that subway and one of us might have gotten nicked by it.
"Yeah, you?"
"Physically yes," I answered casually before continuing to fly with Peter to his apartment. When we finally got there he stuck himself onto the brick wall right next to Peter's bedroom window. I levitated in front of it, opening the windows latch and pulling it up before hopping through it first and then Peter who immediately started freaking out.
"I'm so sorry-" Peter started, tapping the spider emblem on his suit making it expand and whipping off his mask.
"It's ok, it's ok-" I tried to comfort him as I tapped the arc reactor in my chest twice causing my suit to disappear inside it leaving me in my black tank top and sport shorts.
"This is all my fault-" Peter started to ramble and I tried to comfort him, cupping his face in my hands to try to calm him down.
"I shouldn't have lost my temper, this was my mistake too-"
"I can't believe I got you into this mess-"
"I can't believe this is happening-"
"I should've just listened to you-"
"Ok, well, that I don't disagree with but-"
"I don't know what to do-"
"Peter-" We went back and forth until Happy opened the door and walked right in to find Peter with only boxers on and me with sport shorts and my under shirt on. And, of course, I just so happened to be in very close proximity to Peter with my hands cupping his face. Happy immediately turned away, covering his eyes.
"I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything!" Happy exclaimed in surprise as we both stammered to try to defend ourselves. And, of course, May had to be right behind him.
"Oh my- just practice safe sex, just-just make sure you wear protection!" May yelled as she began closing the door behind making me shoot a force field to stop it.
"No, no May that's not-"
"That is very far off on what's happening and technically not even physically possible-" I stammered with a nervous laugh.
"Well I always assumed you would try-"
"Oh my god May-" Peter stopped her, his face turning an even brighter shade of red. I handed him a shirt that was closest to me and he quickly put it on as we both realized he was still just in his underwear. "Thank you," he mumbled to me.
"Wait a minutes. Happy, have you been...crying?" I asked noticing the tall awkward man try to hide outside the bedroom door but I spotted his red eyes. He awkwardly came into view hesitantly.
"We...broke up," Happy confessed with a wince, referring to him and May making our eyes go wide.
"I didn't know you guys broke up. I thought you were in love, May," Peter said, directing May through the hallway and into the living room to talk about it.
"I should probably leave, I think... " Happy mumbled, mostly to himself but I stopped him.
"Uh... you might want to stay for some... not-so-great news," I warned Happy quietly as Peter and May made their way to the living room with me and Happy awkwardly trailing behind them.
"I thought you guys were such a handsome couple..."
"You know, it's really about boundaries..."
"Oh..." Peter trailed off trying to find a way to comfort his aunt as I rubbed Happy's back comfortingly. I felt my phone vibrate wildly in my back pocket with messages but I ignored it, focusing on the situation at hand.
"Hey, is it true about..." A random stranger, probably a neighbor, started to ask at the wide open front door but I quickly slammed it shut.
"Not now!" I yelled before quickly scampering to close more curtains.
"I never knew you were so awkward about sex, Peter," I heard May say making my system heat up with embarrassment but ignore it, closing more curtains around the room. How many windows do these people have?
"This has nothing to do with sex," Peter tried to argue with exasperation and a bright red face.
"God's sakes, it's the goal but if you wanna go over it again... I mean, I'm..."
"May, Happy, I'm asexual. Sex is basically the exact opposite goal for me," I confessed to them bluntly with a very hot and flustered face. "Can we just move on to you two breaking up in the span of the thirty minutes that we've been gone?"
"What's that sound?" I heard Happy ask, hearing the muffled sound of news helicopter propellers outside but everyone ignored him.
"Don't change the subject," I said dismissively, shutting another curtain. Peter scurried over to the other open windows, webbing the curtains close and going to the next one.
"Hey Spider-Man!" I heard a girl outside squeal just as Peter frantically close the last curtain and web it shut. Happy and May's phones started going off with calls and messages from other probably concerned people trying to tell May that her nephew is a 'murder.'
"Can you get off your phones for five minutes, I just wanna talk to you about your relationship, okay?" Peter exclaimed desperately, snatching both their phones out of their hands.
"Peter?" I spoke up making him look at me.
"What?" I weakly gestured to the TV screen that showed Peters apartment in clear view from a random news helicopter causing his body slump down in defeat.
"Is that... Is that here?" Peter walked dejectedly to the last window he webbed down and let it snap back up revealing the helicopters surrounding this side of the apartment complex.
"I mean maybe it's not such a big deal," Peter tried to convince them and himself that.
"Peter, I get you're trying to make a point but you're pantless right now," I pointed out at the fact he just open the blinds with just a shirt and his underwear on making his face turn red as I tugged down the blinds.
I heard the shrill sound of my ringing phone causing the three of them to look at me. I warily grabbed my phone from my pocket, wincing as I saw the ID name Pep🌶🧂 displayed on my screen. I hit the call button and slowly brought the phone up to my ear.
"Hey Pep!" I greeted enthusiastically to hide the terror I was undoubtably was feeling.
"Hailey, where in the hell are you?!" Pepper demanded the second she heard my voice making me tilt my head away from the speaker at how loudly she was speaking. "Have you seen the news? What the hell happened?"
"Uh..." I mustered out pathetically as I glanced at the TV which clearly showed Peters apartment and where we were.
"I put Morgan down for a nap and I turn on the news and see my daughter's face everywhere saying she's a killer robot! What did you do and please tell me this is all some big joke," she begged desperately but I couldn't tell her that.
"Would you believe me if I said... hold on, I'm trying to find a good explanation and excuse for this..."
...
Pepper and I sat silently across from each other, neither of us knowing what to say.
"So Mysterio... Beck... died after attacking London but someone else used the footage he had created before he died and edited it to look like you and Peter did it?" Pepper summed up with furrowed eyebrows at the story making me sigh defeatedly.
"Look I know that sounds highly ridiculous but it's the truth, Pepper," I assured desperately but she just took my hand comfortingly.
"I know, I believe you. Of course I believe you. But not a lot of people will," she reminded me making me look away. "We don't have a lot of time before the FBI comes for you and me and Stark Industries as a whole," she said with an exasperated sigh making me wince with guilt.
It wasn't going to be hard to tie Stark Industries with Peter since he had the suit and glasses that were worth billions and had the name Stark written on everything. Curse my father and his narcissistic habit of putting his name in everything.
"Thank gods Ross gave me human rights after the Battle of New York so they can't just imprison me like when I was five," I cringed at the familiar distant memory of being locked up for 7 months.
"We'll get through this," Pepper asserted with a shaky smile and I returned it anxiously. Suddenly, I heard the scampering of tiny feet from the top of the stairs and a very familiar giggle.
"Hailey!" Morgan squealed as she ran down the stairs making everything I was stressing about not-so-important.
"Morgan, no running in the house!" Pepper scolded but she didn't slow down until she missed a step and started to fall. I flicked my wrist causing a blue force field to appear below the stairs and catch her just as she was about to face plant on the floor. She bounced on the force field like it was a trampoline and giggled before bouncing off of it and landed smoothly on the floor with a grin.
"There's my favorite little gremlin!" I smirked as she ran up to me and I lifted her up to sit on my lap.
"What're you guys talking about?" Morgan asked, tilting her head and looking up at me curiously. Pepper and I shared a quick look but I simply smiled down at Morgan.
"Oh, just boring adult stuff," I answered without missing a beat, scrunching up my nose in disgust and she returned it. "Nothing interesting," I shrugged off so she didn't worry.
"You want to show Hailey your new toy?" Pepper asked with a knowing smile making me gasp excitedly for her and Morgan smile so wide.
"Yeah!" She exclaimed, jumping off my lap and snatched my hand, tugging me out of chair. "Come on, come on, come on!" She whined impatiently making me chuckle.
"Okay, okay! Calm down," I laughed at her buoyancy as I let her pull me along and up the stairs. I shared one more look with Pepper before disappearing up the stairs with Morgan and into her room. It looked like the usual five year old girls room except bigger with stuffed animals practically everywhere. I felt a twinge of resentment inside of me that I instantly tried to push down. It's not her fault father was a neglectful asshole.
"Look, look, look!" She urged as she tug through her toy chest and pulled out a rather sad looking orange bunny who held a tinier version of itself but white.
"Oh that's... so cute!" I settled on looking at the depressed rabbit as Morgan scurried back to me and held it up proudly.
"His name is Bon Bon," she introduced proudly with a toothy grin and hugged the vaguely disturbing rabbit.
"Hi Bon Bon," I greeted with a smile, waving at the toy and Morgan made the rabbits arms wave back happily. I chuckled at her excitement about her new toy but my smile immediately fell when I heard someone bang on the front door downstairs. I furrowed my eyebrows and turned toward the stairs and heard the person outside bang their fist against the front door again.
"Morgan, stay here," I instructed, walking out of her room to the stairs.
"But-"
"Morgan, stay there," I ordered more harshly but softened when I turned back to her peaking out of her bedroom door with wide and scared eyes. I walked back to her and knelt down and kissed the top of her head. "Please?"
"Okay..." She agreed hesitantly making me smile at her and stand up.
"I'll be right back," I promised, giving her a confident smile and walked down the stairs to find a group of Damage Control agents standing in the doorway talking to Pepper who looked pissed.
"Do you have a warrant?" She questioned with crossed arms and without skipping a beat the agent held up a warrant with a smug smirk. He looked over her shoulder and locked eyes with me.
"There it is, take them both in and search the place," the man ordered causing all of the agents to come pouring into the house despite both of our protests. Two men with very large guns placed thin, regular handcuffs on my wrists making me almost laugh if not for the situation.
"You're joking right? First of all, these," I paused holding up both my locked hands to present the handcuffs. "Are just sad," I jabbed at them but they did not seem amused at my commentary.
"Hailey, there's a time and place for everything and right now is not the time," Pepper hissed through gritted teeth but I just rolled my eyes.
"Mom!" Morgan yelled from above before running down the stairs but stopped when she saw me being manhandled out the door in handcuffs.
"Hailey!" Morgan continued to yell, running at me but was stopped by an agent. "Get away from her!"
"It's ok, it's ok. It's fine, Morgan," I tried to assure her as I was shoved out the door and she struggled to get out of the grasp of the Damage control agent.
"No! Hailey! Please!"
...
"I want a lawyer," I said for a millionth time as the Damage control agent, Albert Cleary, stared me down. I didn't really need or even want a lawyer but if I had one it would shut him and his basic 'tactics' up.
"So you've said," he observed and I raised an eyebrow at him, crossing my arms stubbornly. "Miss Stark, you're a robot and last time I checked robots don't get lawyers," Cleary shrugged, clearly trying to rile me up but I refused to play his game.
"Well, 'robots' don't usually get arrested so..." I trailed off using my fingers as quotation marks.
"Hailey!" I heard a familiar voice yell from the hallway making me whip my head up to the windows that lined the walls of the room to see Peter with handcuffs locked onto his wrist while getting pushed forward by random men.
"Peter!" I yelled, about to stand up but was stopped by the frail handcuffs around my wrist locked onto the table. Admittedly, breaking out of the handcuffs crossed my mind but that would just give them more of a reason to lock me and Peter up.
I heard one of them grumble a 'come on!' before shoving him in front of them. He gave me one more look before getting dragged away and we couldn't see each other anymore. I glared daggers at Cleary who looked rather pleased with himself.
"Has anyone ever told you you have a really punchable face? Because you really do," I smiled pleasantly, resting my head on my hand casually but he still held his smug smirk.
"Look, we both know this isn't going to end well for the both of you, especially you. You're not human so you have no actual rights," he stated, looking down at me. Oh, if only he knew. "We could just throw you in the Raft and let you wither away there and it would be totally fine," he shrugged casually, trying to get in my head. I looked at him for a moment before bursting out with laughter making his smirk immediately drop. This poor bastard has no idea what he was talking about.
"Look Cleary, after you face off with a manipulative, conniving old man like Beck all other types of manipulation look pathetic. He manipulated Peter into giving away the only thing my father gave him, he manipulated Nicholas into believing him which still baffles me-"
"Nicholas?" He did a double take making me raise an eyebrow at his reaction.
"Nick Fury," I explained with a 'duh' tone but he just stared at me.
"Nick Fury has been off planet for the last year," he narrowed his eyes at me as I gaped at him.
"He's been...?" I trailed off in confusion before remembering something Nicholas said that struck me as odd even then. 'Mr. Beck is from Earth just not yours...' Oh, for fucks sake!
"THOSE DAMN SKRULL!" I shouted in anger slamming my hands onto the metal table making Cleary jump slightly.
"The what?" He demanded with furrowed eyebrows, probably thinking I was going mad.
"The fucking Skrull, they're a shapeshifting species from another planet and they suck! They probably replaced Nicholas, that's the only explanation since they're the only beings I know that can easily shape-shift into anyone," I explained irritably. "They just made this situation a lot more difficult for all of us. And since my luck is usually shitty, I'm going to guess Maria Hill is also off planet?"
"Yeah, she's went away with him. What are you going on about?" He demanded, angry at me for his own ignorance.
"Aliens, dude. But you wouldn't know about it because I actually have been busy busting my ass and actually helping people while you've been manipulating people and being an annoying prick," I spat leaning over the table as he glared at me. His fist tightened at his side but he said nothing as I simply smirked and leaned back into my chair.
"Still waiting on that lawyer!"
...
"Stark Industries was caught in the web of the Spider-Man and Circuit/Mysterio controversy today, when federal agents opened an investigation into missing Stark technology. The agents wanna know exactly what was taken..." The news reporter droned on from the TV as we all watch in anticipation to what will come of all of us.
"No comment at the time- Happy Hogan" was suddenly displayed on the TV next to an old picture of Happy from his mullet days making me cringe with him.
"At least they used a good picture," Happy cringed at the screen and I tilted my head at him in agreement.
"What is happening...?" Peter muttered to himself in disbelief at the situation with a hand over his mouth. I placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly and he squeezed my hand gently.
"That's great. Thank you," Matt Murdock, our lawyer, said into his phone before hanging up the call and tapping his white cane to the floor.
"Well, I have some good news, Peter. I don't believe any of the charges against you are gonna stick," he announced causing everyone to break out in smiles.
"Wait, seriously?" Peter said in surprise and incredibly confused.
"Seriously?" I repeated, even more confused.
"Oh, I knew it," May sighed with relief and placed a hand to her heart.
"Oh, my God, Mr. Murdock. Thank you," Peter commended gratefully with a smile.
"Yes!" Happy rejoiced, tapping his fist to the table like the usual old man does.
"Thank you, Matt," May appreciated together with Peter.
"Now, Hailey," Matt started turning to me next. "Under law, you are registered as an Android so they literally cannot prosecute you. It's impossible."
"Oh well that's good! That's great!" May celebrated but I stared at Matt, knowing there was more. There's always more.
"But..." I emphasized, giving him a look even though he couldn't see me.
"But they can prosecute your...uh... legal owner and builder. And since Mr. Stark is dead and left you in the...ownership of Mrs. Potts that means..."
"She'll take the fall for everything I've ever done and my entire existence," I finished for him soberly, putting my head in my hands defeatedly.
"Existence? I mean sure, it looks bad but certainly not having a... a synteode-" May stammered, not being able to keep track with my species.
"Synthezoid," I corrected with my head still in my hands.
"A synthezoid is not an actual law...right?" May asked, looking at Matt as did the rest of them.
"Not exactly, no. But harboring a weapon of mass destruction without a permit is very much breaking a law," Matt answered awkwardly making May's eyebrows scrunch together in confusion and anger.
"A weapon?" She demanded, crossing her arms against her chest in disapproval.
"I can take out an entire country without breaking a sweat. Yes, I am a weapon and a deadly one at that. Though it's a bit hypocritical that Pepper is going down for having me when the U.S. government wanted to buy me a mere 17 years ago," I pointed out sharply, remembering the screaming matches and arguments I had to sit through with father and those stupid agents.
"Like...like a small country or...?"
"Like I could take out the entire area of Russia..." I trailed off awkwardly.
"And it's not like U.S. government didn't know about me. They've known about me since I was created. They're just using Pepper as they're scapegoat to feign ignorance so the UN doesn't have a panic attack that the U.S. has been harboring a non-controllable super weapon," I rambled quickly, trying not to glitch and destroy May's apartment. "Because thousands of world ending nukes are totally fine but a Synthezoid? No! That's where we draw the line!" I mocked bitterly to myself.
"Mister Hogan?" Matt spoke up making Happy look up at him.
"Yes?"
"The feds are actively investigating the missing technology. I understand you're loyal to Mr. Stark and his legacy, but if you were involved..."
"If I was involved?" Happy repeated, pointing to himself like he didn't know if Matt might have been talking to someone behind him.
"I might secure a lawyer," Matt advised making Happys eyes go wide.
"I need a lawyer because I'm un... I'm under inves... I thought, you said, there's no charge. I could say under advisement of counsel, I refuse to answer the question respectfully because I... the answer could incriminate me. There's a saying in Goodfellas. What did they say in Goodfellas?" Happy continued to stammer incoherently looking back and forth between Peter and I.
"I know, that's interesting... Calm down. Let's hear what he has to say. Matt?" May calmly addressed, gesturing to Matt.
"You're gonna need a really good lawyer," he stressed as Happy gaped at him.
"Peter, you may have dodged your legal troubles, but things will get much worse. There is still the court of public opinion," Matt warned and sure enough a brick came hurtling through the window and right at Peters face. But before he could catch it, Matt caught it first with ease.
"Mysterio forever!" I heard a fanboy cry out from outside before I heard the scamper of feet as they fled the scene.
"How did you just do that?" Peter questioned with wide eyes as Matt casually and awkward handed him the brick wrapped in newspaper with the phrase 'WE BELIEVE MYSTERIO' written with red ink on the back.
"Yeah, Matt, how did you do that?" I asked with a smirk, leaning my head on my hand curiously to what his explanation was going to be. Of course, I knew full well how he did that but I wasn't going to be that person that reveals a person's alias. That's just rude.
"I'm a...really good lawyer," Matt emphasized, shrugging it off casually.
"We're gonna need a safer place to live," May sighed with exasperation, looking at the broken window.
"I can put you guys up in one of the Stark safe houses," I casually planned, already in my messages app in my head and texting Pepper with a heads up.
"What? Hailey, no-"
"May, we have a bunch of empty, rarely used safe houses. Trust me, it's fine," I insisted with a sympathetic smile and she returned it hesitantly. "Plus I should've made sure no one was following us when we flew through the streets. That's my fault," I awkwardly confessed, scratching the back of my neck nervously.
"Hailey-"
"Too late! Already texted Pepper and she agreed," I declared with a smirk, spotting a text from Pepper in the corner of my cybernetic eyes. Hooray to being rich!
...
"Did you send in your applications yet?" I quietly asked Peter on the other side of the phone screen as I laid on the guest bed at Peppers house. Morgan hugged the side of my body like a koala, already fast asleep.
"I literally just finished my MIT one. You?" Peter said, leaning his head on one of pillows in the guest room at the safe house.
"Same," I nodded nervously, brushing the hair away from Morgan's face.
"Imagine if we both got in? And Ned? And MJ?"
"Yeah, but..." They know I'm not human. That I'm a freak. "The probability that four people from the same school get into the same college is nearly improbable," I said, looking away from the screen.
"Come on. We all got good scores, and good grades, and..."
"You think I'm being too cynical," I sighed guiltily, interrupting him.
"No, no, no, no. Well... kind of. That's okay. That's one of my favorite things about you," Peter smiled sheepishly making my face heat up.
"Really?" I questioned, flustered but unable to hide the small smile present on my face.
WARNING: System heating up considerably.
"Yeah," he assured confidently.
"Well, what are your other favorite things?" I asked with curiosity at where he'll go with this.
"I love how humble you are," Peter confessed ironically.
"The humblest," I agreed, nodding along.
"I like how you see the best in people."
"Humanity is truly a gift."
"I love your peaceful nature," he listed and I nodded to that again.
"You know I saved a tree once from being torn down?" I played along making him tilt his head with a smile.
"Really?" Morgan suddenly started squirming against me with her nose scrunched up, probably having a nightmare.
"Shh..." I said quietly, rubbing her back comfortingly causing her to settle down subconsciously.
"What's up?" Peter asked, confused at who I was shushing and looking at.
"Ah, Morgan," I simply answered, tilting my phone to point at Morgan who shifted slightly against my hip. "She's been like that since I got back." Who knew seeing your mom and sister get dragged off by agents was traumatic?
"Aw..." Peter cooed at the sleeping gremlin and I repositioned my phone to sit back on my stomach.
"I have a question and don't judge me on this but... does any part of you feel relieved about all of this? You know, not having to worry about people finding out about your identity?" I asked curiously, glancing at him. Of course, I wasn't but maybe it was different for him being a human.
"Ever since I got bit by that spider... I've only had one week, where my life has felt normal. Well, kind of normal, I guess. And... that was when I met you," Peter confessed, surprising me. "Because I had found the one person who understood what it was like to be in the shadows and have no one know who they were, have no one can know. And suddenly I wasn't alone anymore. But now everybody knows. And... we are the most famous people in the entire world..." Peter trailed off hesitantly, pausing. "... and I'm still broke," he finished making me laugh.
"And I still own literally nothing. Actually less nothing now somehow since Pepper basically kicked me out of Stark Industries to tame the controversy," I mused with a humorless laugh.
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Do you feel relieved, even a little, that everyone knows?" Peter asked and I opened my mouth to answer but hesitated, not exactly sure how to word my thoughts.
"I watched my father my entire life. His rise to fame, his downfalls, his troubles. He traded safety and peace for fame and recognition by choice and I always wondered how he could have done that. How anyone could do that?" I wondered thinking back to him shrugging off the cue cards.
"He was not a good father. Hell, he didn't even meet the bare minimum but he did teach me what not to do in life.
I guess it's different for me since every time I open the news, which is literally 24/7 since I observe everything that is published on the internet automatically, I am regarded as a killer robot who is apparently and somehow controlled by you," I said, scrunching my eyebrows at the inane conspiracy theory making him laugh at the idea.
"I'm excited to see you tomorrow," I admitted with a small smile, referring to tomorrow being the first day of our senior year. One more year left.
"Me too," he said, returning the smile and tilting his head as he looked at me
We ended the call shortly after that leaving me with a very clingy 6 year old.
"Alright, come here, you little gremlin," I whispered as I snatched her up from the bed and carried her to her room in my arms. Thankfully, the media didn't get our home addresses so Morgan and Pepper didn't have to flee from here. I opened the door with my foot and carefully placed her into her bed, tucking her in tightly and smoothing out the blankets. I turned my heel and quietly began to sneak out of the room until a small voice interrupted me.
"Hailey?" Morgan spoke up from her bed making me turn back to her.
"Yeah, gremlin?" I inquired from the doorway, tilting my head at her as she stared up at me.
"Is everything going to be okay?"
"What do you mean?" I questioned softly with furrowed eyebrows in confusion at the question making her look down.
"I heard mom talking about...how you might get taken away again..."
"You were eavesdropping?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and a small smile at this little spy.
"Maybe..." she giggled but it quickly died down at was replaced with a scared look. "That's not true...is it?" I sighed at the scared, wide eyed little girl and walked over to her bed and sat down next to her.
"Of course not. Everything's going to be fine. You want to know why?" I asked and she hesitantly nodded. "Because mom and I will make sure that nothing bad happens to any of us. And I promise you, I'm not leaving anytime soon," I swore as she stared at me until she leapt out from her spot and wrapped her arms around my neck in a hug which I happily returned. When we let go she looked up at me intently with a raised open hand.
"Pinky promise?" She whispered holding up her raised pinky finger.
"Pinky promise," I repeated and wrapped my pinky finger around hers with a smile. "Now go to bed, you little rat," I ordered as I let her go making her giggle and I winked.
"I love you, Hailey," Morgan murmured sluggishly, snuggling deeper into her bed as I walked quietly to the door and held it open by a crack.
"I love you too, gremlin."