Everyone sat around Nick. Tessa and the kids all sat behind me as the others glared at me, waiting for me to explain. I glanced up at Maria. She had her arms crossed like a disappointed mom. I looked back at the awkward, confused kids. Tessa just stared at Steve. She always would talk about having a crush on him. I mean, he is hot. He's always been her celebrity/hero crush. I couldn't help but chuckle. Steve notice her staring. He smiled at her sweetly. I smirked at her blush.
"I met Romeo, that kid," I pointed to him. "In New York during the attack. After the whole Loki thing was over, I helped him find his family, thats these guys. I stayed in touch with them. They just grew on me. You know how I am. Just picking anyone to become family. Sometimes I think it's unhealthy. What if I pick the wrong person? Highly unlikely, due to my impeccable talent for choosing trust worthy peopl-."
"Hope." Nick stated, annoyed of my rambling. I nodded.
"Right, right, sorry. Anyway, Pierce threatened Bucky, but I knew he wouldn't kill him. He was smart enough to get other leverage. He threatened these guys. I couldn't let them get hurt, so I did what he asked." I finished as I looked at the others. I waited for their words. They looked at each other, then to the group behind me.
"What did they ask you to do?" Steve asked. I looked up at him.
"They have this machine. They hook you up, just your head. I don't know how they do it, but they can make you forget everything you ever knew. They use it on Bucky a lot, that's why it's harder for him to remember things as quickly. They used it once on me, when I was 9, and they used all their power in the building. It hurts like hell, like.... like my head was being ripped open and my brain was being pushed around." I chuckled as I stared at the ground, remembering it. "When they took me from my cell, I remember Bucky was trying to save me. He fought those HYDRA men, trying to get me. He took down 25, maybe 30, men, but they took him down. They found out I was helping him remember, so they decided to wipe me. That day... I've never been more scared in my entire life." I gulped as I played with my fingers. I shook my head and looked up. Everyone had a look of pity in their eyes. Even the kids. I rolled my eyes.
I felt a poke on my side. I flinched as I snorted. I'm quite ticklish. I looked down.
"Is that Black Widow?"Chantel pointed to Natasha. I nodded.
"Yep, that's her." I confirmed the little girl. She stared in awe.
"She's super pretty." She spoke a little to loud, earning a laugh from Natasha. Chantel's flushed scarlet.
"You're Captain America." Romeo and Zac spoke together. Steve looked down at them. All the kids were now standing up at me sides. I smiled.
"No duh." Chantel stated. "He's the background on mom's phone." She mentioned to Tessa. Tessa his her face in her hands as everyone looked at her. I notice a faint blush in Steve's cheeks. I laughed a loud as the boys and Tessa glared a Chantel. She's my favourite.
"That's sweet." Natasha smirked. She gave me a look. I nodded at her with a grin.
"Okay, so why are they here?" Nick asked as he sat up in the bed. I looked at the S.H.I.E.L.D agents.
"I was hoping to get some tips on how to keep them on the low. HYDRA knows I'm close to them. If they don't them... well you guys get the idea." I couldn't help but notice Steve staring at Tessa. Not like checking her out, but admiring her. Oh my Loki! I ship it! I'm going to get this ship sailed! Speaking of Loki, I need to talk to him. I haven't talked to him in like 4 days.
"Romanoff and Hill can help you. They've done it before." Nick pointed to them. They nodded.
~
Right now, we all sat in a room. Everyone except Nick. Sam and Steve were on the side lines, while Maria and Nat talked to us. I felt like I was in school again. They explained a lot.
Get a new phone and try to use pay phone; go somewhere completely random; try to keep to self; choose fake names/ID that has no relation to your true ones; don't draw attention to yourselves; blend in; and most importantly, have fun... nah I'm just kidding. That's about it. Common sense. With the kids, it'll be more difficult, and with Tessa and Steve getting all friendly. Right now, their talking. I was trying to get ID and find a house for them with the help of Maria and Natasha.
"You can finally stop looking Nat." I told her with a smirk. She looked over to Steve and Tessa. They laughed at something Steve said. "Steve is actually doing okay. Usually he has trouble with talking to girls." I remember a few conversations. "I wonder if he has kissed anyone since Peggy?"
"He's not that bad, but he needs some more practice." Natasha spoke up. Maria and I looked at her. Maria's eyes widened.
"Uhh, what?" I stared at the red head. She shrugged.
"Public displays of affection make people uncomfortable. We had to get past Rumlow in the mall." She shrugged as she picked a place.
"I probably need some practice." I mumbled to myself. Natasha and Maria laughed.
"Don't look at me." Maria backed up in her chair. Natasha smirked at me.
"I can give you some lesson." She suggested jokily. I laughed as I shook my head.
"I need practice." Zac spoke up. We looked at him. He wiggles his eyebrows at us. "Any takers?"
"Pass." We all said in sync. I laughed at his face. I leaned down and kissed his cheek. He turned away quickly. His face turning red. I looked over to Tessa and Steve. Steve was blushing. They over heard us. Steve looked over to me. I waved them over. Sorry Steve, give me my Tessa back.
"Where is a place you want to go? What kind of weather are you familiar with?" Natasha asked Tessa and the kids.
"Some where cold. I hate the heat." Tessa answered truthfully.
"Hot it is." Maria looked on the map. The kids groaned. I smiled at them.
"California? Mexico?" I threw suggestions out there.
"Maybe California." Natasha nodded. "Now ID, house, and transportation."
I mentioned for Tessa to follow me. We walked to the other side of the room.
"So... Steve?" I leaned against the wall with a knowing smirk. She rolled her eyes.
"It's nothing. He's just a sweet guy. He told me about how it was waking up in a new world. He's really nice." Tessa smiled to herself. I nodded.
"Mhmm. I know, he's my best friend. And I also know how he acts. He thinks your sweet too." I tried to boost her confidence. She shook her head.
"I can't get with him, he's Captain freaking America!" She exclaimed softly. I chuckled. I glanced at Steve. His stupid super hearing.
"Dont ask Captain America then, just ask Steve Rogers. He likes pizza. Oh and milkshakes!" I pointed at her with a wink. I also gave a subtle wink to Steve.
"Okay, we got a place and ID. We have other stuff to do you know. We have just about 2 hours before they launch the helicarriers." Maria handed four envelopes to Tessa. She looked over to me. "Say your goodbyes. It was nice meeting you guys." Maria smiled at Tessa.
"It was great meeting you too." Tessa smiled. "And thank you so much for the help."
"Don't mention it. Any friend of Hope's, is a friend of ours." Maria smiled at us before walking back to Nick's room. I looked at Tessa, then to the envelopes. I smiled gently at her. I looked over to Natasha. She was playing with Blizzard and the kids. She sat criss-cross and had Blizzard in her arms. A large grin on her face. The kids looked like they were gabbing her ear off.
"I'm sorry I got you into this mess. I know you had a peaceful life. I wished I didn't have to put you in danger like this." I looked down to my feet. Tessa hugged me.
"You helped me a lot. I was getting bored anyway. The kids already keep to them selves because of where we lived. Now, we're going to California. I never would have thought that I would live there." Tessa smiled at me. "So thank you."
~
I said my goodbyes to the kids. Crying and all. Romeo made me cry the most though. He's just a sweetheart. Zac was just talking about the girls that he would meet in California. God that kid! But he gave a hug, shed a little tears. Chantel was just bawling. She almost squeezed the shit out of Blizzard.
"Settle in. Don't tell anyone about us, this, or your past. Keep it a secret. Start fresh. Maybe, just maybe, I'll call." I whispered the last part to her. "Again, I'm so, so, so sorry. I feel terrible. You shouldn't be doing this, but here you are because of me."
"It's okay, Hope." She reassured me.
After a while, they had to leave and we did too. I had on my HYDRA suit on. We went out separate ways. Steve had on his old suit on from the Smithsonian. He stole it, bad Captain.
It was time to take down HYDRA once and for all. S.H.I.E.L.D has to go too.