A/N: Full disclosure, for the next few chapters, you will most likely hate me. *hides behind tony*

ALSO, this might just be the last peaceful chapter and starting with this chapter, every chapter for like the next 10 chapters will be

ACTION ACTION ACTION

GASP GASP GASP

HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT

So buckle up ;)

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"If I recall correctly, there was a

fire-breathing dragon and – oh,

there was also a giant mutant ninja turtle."
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There were only a few times when Adelaide had cried. She had not anticipated for one of those times to be in her sleep.

"Adie, honey, wake up," the billionaire whispered, gently wiping the tears from the teenager's face with his thumb. Her eyes flickered and she stirred on the couch, pulling away.

"Adie," he said again as she opened her eyes in confusion.

"Tony?" she mumbled sleepily, barely making out the figure of the billionaire crouched down in front of her.

"Yeah," he said softly, studying her face, "It's me. I'm here."

Rubbing her eyes, she sat up on the couch, letting the blanket fall from her shoulders.

"God, what time is it?" she mumbled, fighting back a yawn.

"I saw you crying in your sleep," Tony said in a serious tone, pushing himself up off the floor to sit on the coffee table behind him.

"I'm fine," she mumbled, sighing and rubbing her face, "Sorry I woke you up."

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"I saw you crying in your sleep," he repeated and she sighed again, licking the tears off of her lips as she stared at the coffee table he was sitting on. She realized that she must have fallen asleep while watching tv.

"I said I'm fine," she grumbled, feeling exhaustion taking over. She ran her hands through her hair, suddenly feeling hot and stuffy. She didn't want to be interrogated at the moment. Tony pulled his lips in and then let out a breath. He pushed himself off the coffee table and sat beside her on the couch.

"Come here," he said gently, holding his arms out. Adelaide glanced at him hesitantly but obliged, curling up beside him. His embrace was warm compared to the temperature of the room. She realized she was shaking and Tony seemed to realize this too because he held her closer, soothing her hair gently. He rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Are you okay?" he mumbled without moving. Adelaide closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath, feeling as if her walls, her barrier against the world, had just crumbled to pieces. No one had asked her that. With everything that was going on, everyone was preoccupied.

"Adie..." he said quietly and that was all it took to let her unravel completely. She broke into tears which got out of control until she was heaving with sobs in the billionaire's arms.

"Shh," he said, soothing her hair, "Let it all out. It's okay. I'm here with you, you're safe."

There was no use in trying to stop her tears. She had been holding them in for too long and it felt so good to let them all out. All the pain and fear left her slowly, tear by tear.

"It's okay," he repeated gently, holding her closer, "It's okay."

Adelaide cried about her parents, she cried about her memories, she cried about her nightmares, she cried about in fear, she cried in pain, she cried because it was the only thing that relieved her pain.

She cried and it was the most heartbreaking sound Tony had ever heard.

Tony had been too caught up in his problems to give his attention to the teenager. From Pepper to Charles Spencer to the Avengers in Nigeria, he hadn't realized how broken the teenager had become in the past two months.

He didn't realize it when she woke him up from his nightmares, he didn't realize it when she laid beside him just so he would be able to sleep peacefully, he didn't realize it when she got dressed a bit earlier than usual to make him the best breakfast she could because she knew how exhausted he had been the night before.

He didn't realize that while he had been trying to fix his broken pieces, she had been falling apart.

Her body let out a final shudder and she was out of tears. Adelaide sniffled, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. For a moment, she simply stared at the coffee table as her eyes burned.

"I'm sorry," Tony suddenly said and Adelaide looked up at him without moving out of his embrace.

"Why?" she asked. Her voice sounded nasal and slightly raw.

"For not paying attention to you," he shrugged, looking across the room to avoid looking at her, "I didn't realize that you..."

"It's fine," she said, sniffling into his shirt, "You had a lot going on."

"It's not a good enough excuse," he said and Adelaide only shrugged, not knowing what else to say. A comfortable silence lapsed over them and Adelaide focused on her breath, trying to steady it. In...out...in...out...

"I'm glad you showed up at this place a year ago," he said, and Adelaide could hear the smile in his voice, "And I'm glad that you're here now."

"Me too," she agreed quietly, breathing him in. He smelled like metal and maybe some beer.

Adelaide didn't know how much time had passed that they had been in that position. It felt like time passed different in the dark. Maybe it had been half an hour, maybe an hour. She didn't care. She hadn't been this at peace in what felt like years. She had thought Tony was asleep but he surprised her by what he said to her.

"I love you," he mumbled into her hair, drawing her closer and catching her off guard.

She never expected him to say that to her. She was the one who had shown up uninvited into his life and threw it out of proportion. And she didn't know why exactly he loved her or why she felt the same way, but Adelaide knew that whatever the reason that she was here, no matter how horrible it could be, she wouldn't have changed a thing. She nestled her face into his shirt.

"I love you too."

-----

It was Sunday night and Adelaide had successfully avoided talking to Tony about what had been bothering her – well, almost. He had caught her at lunch and asked her if she wanted to talk about what had been bothering her, but she dodged that conversation. She had had the strong urge to tell him everything last night but a certain feeling had held her back. Maybe someday, but not today.

As per her usual nighttime routine, she headed to the public swimming pool to meet Spider-Man. He was already there, sitting on the roof this time as she made her way over to him.

"Hey," she said, sitting beside him and swinging her feet over the edge.

"Hey," he greeted with a smile, "Tough day?"

"Tough life," she said, laughing lightly as she looked up at the sky.

"So..." he started and Adelaide looked over at him, raising one eyebrow.

"So what?" she asked.

"So did you forgive Peter?" he asked innocently as if he didn't already know the answer.

"Yeah," she answered, "I did."

"And? Do you feel good about it?" he asked, watching her expressions intently.

"I do. You were right. I really did miss him. Tomorrow, when I see him at school, things will be back to normal...I hope." Adelaide couldn't shake off what Liz had told her. Had she really thought that she and Peter were dating? Sure, they were close, but she was also close with Ned. He was her best friend too. So why Peter? What was different?

"What do you mean?" he asked. Adelaide didn't think it was in anyone's best interest to tell Spider-Man about what some girl from her school had told her.

"Nothing. How was your day?" she asked, swiftly changing the topic.

"Caught a crook on my way here," he shrugged, "He was stealing some lady's purse." He didn't add the part about how he was disappointed that the crook hadn't been the man he had been looking for since December. Peter wondered if he would ever catch that man. Maybe that was what he deserved after he had let him go the first time at the cage fight.

"Look at you, Bugboy. You'll be getting a call from the Avengers any day now," she teased and he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, if they start catching small-town crooks," he mumbled sarcastically. As if.

"You never know," she shrugged and then took a deep breath, taking in the city air. It smelled a lot like petroleum and a hot summer.

"I've been meaning to ask, do you have any friends? Besides me."

"A couple," he answered honestly.

"Are they superheroes, too?" she asked eagerly, turning to face him and Peter laughed at the image of Ned in a red cape chasing a crook. Or Ada glaring at a crook to make him turn himself in.

"I doubt it," he laughed.

"You think so highly of your friends," she grinned, rolling her eyes, "At least tell me how you got your powers.''

"Well, let's see...if I recall correctly, there was a fire-breathing dragon and – oh, there was also a giant mutant ninja turtle..."

"You suck," she laughed, shoving his shoulder and rolling her eyes. Peter laughed too. It was nice to hear her laughing. He noticed that she had been doing it more often around him lately. He didn't know how he felt about that, but it did make his stomach feel a bit strange whenever he heard the sound of her laughter.

They fell quiet for a while, lost in their own heads. The silence had become a part of their strange friendship. It was peaceful. Adelaide watched the people walking on the streets, wondering if their lives were as wrecked as hers. If they were, they were all holding it together much better than she had been.

"Do you ever just...want to start your life over?" she asked, interrupting the silence.

"All the time," he agreed, "But my Uncle B- I mean, my Uncle Billy once told me that everyone can walk away from their problems, only the best of people can face them."

"Well, it would be helpful if I knew what my problem was," she laughed humorlessly. Peter was itching to ask, but he figured she wouldn't tell him and that he might just end up making her mad. After everything, that was the last thing he wanted.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," he said and she shrugged.

"No, I don't think I will," she answered, thinking back to the cold-blooded murders she had committed in her nightmares, "And some days, I think it's better if I don't."

Peter didn't know what to say so he stayed silent. This was the first time she had told him anything this personal.

"This is gonna sound crazy," she started, "but...have you ever killed someone? You know, as a superhero."

Peter was slightly caught off guard by the question, but he managed to recover.

"I haven't," he answered. He decided not to tell her that he almost had once. "You?"

"I don't...no, I haven't," she answered. She was going to say I don't know but she figured that would probably terrify him. How would she even explain that to him?

"Okay..." Peter said, unsure of what else to say, "good."

"Do you think killing someone who killed someone you love is justifiable?" she asked.

In her nightmares, she always hesitated before she pulled the trigger on Graves. The thought that always stopped her was...who was she to decide how he paid for his actions? She always believed that she deserved a second chance so why was Graves any different? Despite that, she always shot him in her dreams. It was easier to kill, even if it wasn't justifiable.

"I do," he answered and Adelaide looked at him in surprise.

"You do?" she asked.

"You know, an eye for an eye," he shrugged, thinking about how he wanted vengeance for Ben. He didn't know if killing that man would make him happier or bring him closure, but he knew that he had to do it for Ben.

"I don't know..." she said quietly, staring at the pavement, "Taking someone's life isn't that simple."

"I think that it is," he said. She thought back to when Peter had almost killed a man. That night, she had done what she believed had been the right thing to do at that time. But what if Spider-Man was right? Had she really done the right thing that night?

"So if, for example, some man were to kill your uncle, would you kill him?" she asked carefully. Peter's breath hitched in his throat.

"Is this an example or a real situation?" he asked.

"It happened to someone I know...Peter. It wasn't his fault, really. His uncle had just died and he was so angry...I had never seen him that angry before. The gun was right there, in his hand, and he was about to kill the man, but I...I stopped it. I couldn't let him do it because I knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he had. He doesn't know, but I think it was the right thing to do at the time. I guess I'm not sure anymore."

"Y-You stopped him?" Peter whispered, feeling his body ignite in anger. He couldn't believe it. He barely even remembered how the man had gotten away to begin with but it all made sense. Ada had shown up right afterward.

She had stopped him from killing Uncle Ben's killer.

"I acted on impulse. I did what I thought was right at that time," she said, staring at her hands in her lap.

Peter shook his head. He couldn't believe it. All this time...All this time he had been looking for Ben's killer when it was Ada's fault that he had escaped to begin with. His breaths became shorter as he tried to control his anger.

He really, really couldn't believe it.

"I-I-I have to go," he suddenly said, backing away from her before his anger got out of control. Adelaide looked up in surprise.

"Um, okay," she said, confused as to why he was leaving so suddenly.

But before she could ask, he was already gone, leaving her alone on the rooftop.

-----

A/N: I know this chapter is short. It was actually much longer but I had to cut it in half to build suspense like the good author I am. Unfortunately, the next few chapters will be just as short. :(

So I have an announcement to make. Chapter 56 is going to literally be Adelaide's memories. Everything you've ever wanted to know, any questions, all the confusion, suspense...anything. Chapter 56 ;) I started to write it and it's going to end up being like 11,000 words long so I am excitedd.

If I did the math right (fat chance that I did) then Chapter 56 should be out September 9th. :D

ANYway, question. What do you think Peter's reaction is gonna be?