Home Again
Chapter Five - Trust and Friendship
By: Paramour Party

Note: Dialogue heavy because we have a lot of characters on the scene. This chapter's POV is split between both Bucky and Hermione.

Thursday, June 30th, 2016
James POV

James thought Hermione looked a little bit more than "just drained". She was pale and her brown eyes looked a little unfocused. Her curls were breaking free from the braid she'd tied it in. There was a slight tremor in her hands and he wondered if that was an effect of using too much of her abilities in such a short period of time.

When the quinjet shimmered into view, she seemed to come back to herself and James felt a bit of the worry ease. Natasha was watching Hermione, eyes sharp and assessing. Whatever conclusions the redhead came up with had her approaching a hand stretched out in greeting.

"Natasha," she introduced.

Hermione accepted the handshake. "Hermione."

Wilson stepped up next introducing himself as Sam. Then, Steve followed.

"Pleasure to meet you all," Hermione said, "And- and thank you for offering up your home to me."

James's hand went to rest on her shoulder realizing she'd come to a decision. "I told you, it'd be no problem," he said.

Natasha's eyes focused on his hand before she smiled a seemingly innocent smile. She reached for Hermione leading her onto the quinjet. "It'll be nice to have another woman around."

James hung back for a moment watching the two women and Wilson walk toward the loading bridge at the back of the jet.

Steve frowned at him and sighed. "Did you even try to sleep?" he asked.

James huffed and looked at his friend's own shadowed eyes. "Did you?" he retorted.

"This isn't about me."

"Steve."

His friend's shoulders slumped. "Sorry. I worry."

"I know," James said. He let Steve drape an arm over his shoulder as they walked to the jet.

"Things go okay?"

He nodded. "All things considered, it could have been worse."

"And her?" Steve asked with a nudge of his head. They glanced over at the trio. Wilson had removed his new and improved Stark made EXO-7 Falcon jetpack and was letting Hermione look it over in curiosity.

"I think it's best to wait for the debrief to go over everything, but, I do think she's trustworthy."

Steve's guard didn't drop as they boarded although there was less tension in the way he clenched his hands. He was still suspicious and James knew his friend would wait and see for himself what James saw in Hermione. Actions spoke louder than words and all that.

The interior of the quinjet was mostly bare in typical fashion of a military mission-ready jet. There was a decent-sized overhead storage along the sidewalls and two rows of seats just underneath that. Fairly standard for missions and while not as comfy as a commercial plane, Stark was all about high quality and some level of comfort.

With the small talk over and all equipment stored, Wilson went to pilot with Natasha taking co-pilot. James approached Hermione. He could see her unease despite the brave front she put on in front of the Avengers. He knew the others could see it too. She was still pale and while the tremor in her hands wasn't as noticeable any more, it was there. She'd taken to holding her hands together to hide it.

He grabbed a cool water bottle from the overhead storage and held it out to her. She took it gratefully with a soft thanks. James sat next to her hoping to ease some tension with whatever familiarity he could offer her. Buckled in, he could see she tried to ignore Steve's watchful gaze from across them.

"You should rest," James said once they took off and settled into the smooth flight.

She smiled wearily. "I'll try. Once the adrenaline gets going, I've always found it a little hard to turn off the vigilance," she admitted. "Are you okay?" she tapped her cheek and he realized he might have a bruise blooming where he vaguely remembered getting a pointy elbow to the face.

He shrugged. "Nothing that won't heal."

She fiddled with the bag strapped to her thigh and then held her hand out to him. "Here," she said, "it's yours anyway."

He hesitated and pressed the small balm container back into her hand. "You can keep this one if you like. I can get another one later."

"If you're sure?"

He nodded. "Yeah, no problem."

"At least put some on your bruise before it gets any darker," she said, still holding the balm out.

He took in the determined look on her face. It was the same stubborn look she had when she argued with LeBlanc after showing up at his house. He had a feeling any attempt at insisting he could go without wouldn't go well. He accepted it with a small smile and thanks. He removed his gloves and with a bit of the offered balm, dabbed it over his slightly tender cheekbone area.

James froze when Hermione leaned forward spreading a bit of the balm a little further out closer to his ear. She paused looking a little embarrassed by her actions and quickly pulled away. "Sorry. I'm just so used to helping Harry or Ron."

He insisted it was okay but she averted her gaze pulling out a notebook from her bag and focused on ignoring everyone instead. He glanced at Steve who rose a brow in his direction but didn't comment.

James looked away. He didn't have any answers for the silent questions Steve asked.

They were about two hours away from landing and James was standing at the back of the quinjet quietly cleaning off his weapons and storing them away. Natasha came over under the pretence of taking a quick break and leaned against the built-in foldable counter space he was using. A smile stretched across her lips and she hid it behind her water bottle. Steve, the nosy busybody that he was, seemed to hover closer.

"Did you want me to clean your guns too?" James offered when Natasha didn't say anything.

Her grin just widened. "She's cute," she whispered instead. He quickly glanced over to Hermione who had finally fallen asleep, curled up in her seat.

Steve moved even closer and scolded her with a sharp, "Natasha!"

The redhead pulled off the innocent look well. "What? I'm just making an observation."

"This is not the time to be playing matchmaker."

James resolved to ignore the line of conversation and continued cleaning his gun. Natasha on the other hand not so subtly rolled her eyes. "I seem to remember having multiple conversations with you during missions about who was single and ready to mingle." She shimmied her shoulders in emphasis.

"You were suspicious of her barely a month ago," Steve said.

"Well, we didn't know anything about her a month ago," Natasha returned.

"We still don't know much about her."

"I'm sure Soldat here will be willing to vouch for her." Her grin was unwavering, "stop being so serious, Steve. I'm making observations, doesn't mean I'm not being cautious. What do you take me for? Besides, I'm just making conversation."

There was a pause. They were quiet. Too quiet. When James looked up from his work, they were both looking at him expectantly. "Oh, were you done?"

Natasha nudged him as she walked back to the front, "I knew a solo mission would do you some good."

Steve sighed but still looked to him in question. James shrugged. "I don't know what answers you're looking for, Steve," he said as he set his equipment down and faced his friend.

There was a hesitation in his friend's eyes. "Are you unhappy with the Avengers?"

James blinked. "No? Why would you ask that?"

Steve gestured to Natasha. James shook his head. "I didn't take a solo mission to avoid the Avengers, Steve. You know this." He looked away for a moment. "But understand that it's still an adjustment for everyone, including myself. Building my work relationship with this team takes time and trust. And some days, I just need time on my own and Natasha saw that. Hell, Stark saw it."

"I get it," Steve said softly, a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I do, Buck. I just-"

"Worry," James said at the same time. They shared a smile. "I know, Steve."

It was nearing midnight in New York by the time they landed at the New Avengers Compound. Hermione turned to him with a surprised look on her face. "That is not what I was expecting…"

There was a large lush field all around them, and a little further away was oddly shaped but sleek white multi-level building. One whole wall made of glass windows.

He shrugged. "I did say we had the room."

Stark was waiting for them in the foyer, a mug of coffee in one hand and a tablet in the other. "So much for subtlety, huh," he commented, "heard an apartment building got shot up and a HYDRA base dusted is being hushed through the intelligence net. Should have called me in, explosions are right up my skill set."

James couldn't respond because Stark had already moved on to Hermione, looking her up and down. "She's tiny."

"Excuse me?" Hermione cut in.

Stark tuck his tablet under his arm and waved. "Tony Stark. And I was just thinking out loud. I thought you'd be taller."

James hid a grin at Hermione's questioning stare and flat observation, "You're hardly the tallest person in this room. I'm Hermione Granger, though, I'm sure you already knew that. And I owe you thanks, for opening your home up to me."

Tony waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it," he said leading them through the large compound into a more comfortable common space. It wasn't the conference room, but there was a large enough table to seat all of them and more. James didn't purse his lips or frown at the sight of it, but it was a close thing. He was not the lead here and understood the need and wants of the team to debrief Hermione now instead of later in the morning.

Hermione, on the other hand, did purse her lips at the sight of the room but she sighed, squared her shoulders and took a seat. "Is this where you're going to interrogate me?" she asked and kept her hands busy by redoing the loose braid her curls escaped from. She held Stark's gaze and James knew everyone took note of how she didn't falter.

He took a seat, not directly next to her but close enough to show her that he'd be on her side. Natasha and Stark, the leads on this he assumed, took the seats right across from her. Wilson chose the furthest seat at the table while Steve decided against sitting all together and just stood a few steps behind Natasha.

"Interrogating sounds so harsh," Stark replied," how about politely question?"

Hermione leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "If I deem a question too personal I won't answer."

Stark shrugged but Natasha frowned. "And if it's important to know?"

Hermione shook her head. "I trust you more than I'd ever trust HYDRA, but personal is personal. Unless I feel safe enough to divulge, I won't."

From what James could see, Stark and Wilson seemed to understand her reasoning. Natasha's face was carefully blank and Steve didn't look particularly happy with it.

Stark just pushed forward and presented her with his tablet opened to the photos of her in Britain.

"Can you explain this?"

Hermione didn't look at it. "What do you know about ley lines?"

There was some confusion on Steve and Wilson's faces while Natasha remained blank. Stark looked sceptical. "A pseudo-science where it's believed there's an intersection of lines around the earth," Stark said. "Are you saying the so-called earth energies are real?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know what you would have called it here. But where I come from, there are nodes at the intersections of the ley lines and we use them to power our protections."

"Where you come from?" asked Natasha. "Are you saying you're not from Britain then?"

Hermione glanced at him and he nodded encouragingly.

"I am from Britain… Just not this Britain. The best way I can define it is an alternate universe or dimension. Your earth is very similar to my Earth, but it's not," she said, "... mine that is."

There was silence as everyone seemed to take that information in. Stark sighed. "First gods, then aliens, and now alternate universes?" He propped his chin upon his hand, glancing at James for a moment before turning back to Hermione. "Lemme guess. You're using the nodes of this universe to try and get home?"

Hermione nodded. "If an accident at the ley lines in my world brought me here, there might be a way to bring me back." She frowned deeply, "That's the hope anyway."

Natasha leaned forward. "What else do these ley lines do in your world then?" she asked, "Because the energy levels these things put off when they're activated are honestly fascinating, but it can be dangerous in the wrong hands."

Steve interjects before Hermione can answer, "And if, as you say these power sources are for protection in your world, how does it accidentally bring you here?"

There's a pause as Hermione thought over her answer. "Long story short, I was on a work assignment in my world because someone was tampering with the node. My team and I were sent to fix it. There was a fight, and as I told James, my memory is a little hazy but I think the node might have burst. Then, I woke up in this world," she said looking at Steve before turning to Natasha.

"And to be completely honest, I can't really confirm what else the ley lines can do," Hermione said as she pulled out her notebook. "My people haven't worked with the ley lines outside of using them to power our shields for centuries. Anything more was typically considered taboo. Too high of a risk, too much potential harm to our protections."

Stark gestured to her notebook and Hermione hesitantly passed it along. "You might not understand any of it," she said, "Anyway, I can speculate on possibilities. Especially since the repercussions of messing around with the nodes brought me here. Those notes are just some personal research I've done since landing here. Although, there are some glaring differences between our worlds. I can't say for sure yet, what the nodes here can do if there'd be differences."

Wilson spoke up for the first time, rubbing his cheek in thought. "Do you think anyone can wield the energy here? Or would you be the only one? And what will happen if you manage to get home? Will the protections you put in place around them go down?"

Hermione's tapped a finger in thought. "It's hard to say. Technology here is vastly superior to what I'm familiar with, so I don't know if someone with the right technology can interact with the ley line like I can. But, the protections around the node should, in theory, survive if I manage to get home. And if ever I did figure out how to get home, I'd work towards reinforcing the protections I'd set up before leaving anyway."

There was only the sound of Stark flipping through Hermione's note. "I can kind of understand some of the maths you have here, but some of the equations make zero sense to me. And the symbols. Don't know anything about that. But... the calculations are worrying. The fight that brought you here. What did they want?" he asked.

There was a faraway look that glazed over Hermione's eyes. James aborted his movement to reach over to her when she blinked and looked down at her hands. "What did they want?" she echoed with a hollow laugh, "I imagine they wanted power. It's always about power, isn't it? How they were going to use it without destroying our protections, I don't know but I doubt they cared."

There was a subtle shift in tension as silence reigned.

"How about we end things for the night?" James asked as he stood, "It's been a long day and we can reconvene tomorrow."

Wilson hummed his agreement while Steve sighed and relented. Stark stood passing back the notebook to Hermione. "That sounds good to me," he said. "Let's talk science tomorrow, I'd like to understand these equations more."

Hermione nodded.

Natasha's blank business face faded and she smiled again. "James and I can show you where you'll be staying."

Hermione stood slowly, seemingly surprised at how quickly the atmosphere changed. "Thank you."

Friday, July 1st, 2016

Sleep didn't last long but it rarely did anyway so James wasn't too concerned. When he left his suite, the sun just starting to rise, Steve was walking down the hallway. "Nat wants to debrief," he said after greeting him.

James nodded expecting it, he went back into his room for his notes. They walked down to a lower level and into an actual conference room this time. Natasha and Stark were talking in low tones while Vision, Banner, and Wilson were seated at the table each reading from their own tablets. He dipped his chin at them in acknowledgement before taking a seat.

"Only us?" James asked.

Steve shrugged, "Wanda is visiting Clint."

Once everyone was seated they all turned their attention to James. Their tablets set down, caught up on the basic mission parameters and any notes James added prior to extraction. "Where do you want to start?" he asked.

"Let's talk HYDRA first," Natasha said.

He folded his hands in front of him as he spoke. "The European Underground has been slowly letting go of HYDRA ties. No one wants to be connected to them especially after the leak. Too many eyes can be bad business. From what I could find, they're building a few hubs. UK and France have the biggest HYDRA bases and I'm guessing it's because of the power sources. But they have smaller posts in Estonia, Malta, and Bulgaria." He motioned to the tablets, "I pinned out the locations I was able to find on the map."

"With the new base in France destroyed, do you think they'll stick around there?" asked Banner, he was flicking through the tablet to pull up the map and review it.

James shook his head. "Doubt it, there's going to be eyes on that area for a while to come, they won't want to risk it. I'm sure they've already put a scrub through the area in case any tech survived."

Steve hummed in thought as he too flicked through the notes on the tablet. "Would they relocate any agents to the UK or other hubs?"

Stark chimed in as zoomed in and out of a map on his own tablet as well, "If they're trying to make a new HQ, my money would be moving everyone to the UK."

Natasha shook her head agreeing with James. "Too obvious."

"Same vein of too many eyes watching. If they're going to anticipate another attack from us, they don't want everyone to be in one place and risk getting surrounded," James said.

"How should we proceed? Hit the smaller groups first, then the UK?" asked Wilson.

"If we can get the manpower, maybe a coordinated hit across the board," Steve suggested.

Natasha projected the map over the conference table. "I'd say we hit Estonia and Bulgaria at the same time. Then Malta."

Wilson hummed in thought for a moment. "How likely will they regroup to the UK if we take away all of their European support?"

James had to think over his history with HYDRA and their grouping strategies before answering. "They'll split, we won't be able to get them all in the hole like that."

There was a moment of pause. "How much support do they have left?" Vision inquired.

"Enough," James grunted, "But once we clean Europe it should get easier. Eliminate the European support, the weaker agents with no sense of loyalty will run. We might get the important figures to ran back to whatever hide-outs they still have in the Americas. Did we get anything off the download?"

Stark nodded. "Some, we're still reviewing it so we'll get to it on the next debrief. I'll flag a file I found about their research into the power source." There was a soft chime on the tablets, and the file pinged for review.

"Did you find anything about that from the Underground?" asked Natasha as she sped read through the new file.

James shook his head. "No, but I honestly wasn't expecting too after I found out LeBlanc was on it."

Everyone frowned. Wilson asked who LeBlanc was and Stark filled the team in with what he managed to find of the Frenchman. James added some of his own history with the man for some context as well, but no one seemed to pleased by what was said. A man with a lot of respect and kept in high regard in the Underground could be dangerous should he decide on going against them.

"Who's side is he on?" Banner asked.

"He's not on HYDRA's side," James firmly said. "But we won't be able to use him to persuade the rest of the Underground if that's what you're thinking. That world is different. A lot of them serve their own interests and not really the bigger picture. They won't pick sides and stay neutral."

"And our new housemate?"

James looked at Vision at the question.

"I think she'd help with what she can," he said honestly.

"What did you learn about her?" Natasha asked with a smirk.

The team collectively flicked through their tablets to the section he and Natasha started on the report. Photos of Hermione and the little information they managed to find and the small notes he'd added once he'd found her.

"First impressions led me to believe she doesn't have any malicious intent in regards to the power sources. We know now why her file is faked. I believe her when she says she's just trying to get home. You have my observations - self-preservation, protection. She's loyal to LeBlanc though I haven't figured out how they met or how she found the Underground," he said. "LeBlanc is fond of her, but not romantic. She's friendly enough with some in the underground and there's curiosity there, but no one really asks questions were LeBlanc is involved."

Wilson was nodding, "That's why you went for the protection route, then," he said more as a thought.

"She's not an enemy so the best way to protect the power source is to offer her protection as well," James said.

He went over everything that happened from the moment she knocked on his door until they landed in New York. He hadn't had time to update his information since. "There's something else. Her abilities, I haven't asked about the extent of it, and I'd doubt she'd divulge this early on but she's trained in some way. She has battle instinct and focus and I have my suspicions that she's not quite a civilian where she's from, though not quite military or anything of that sort."

There was a nod from Steve, Natasha, and Wilson who had seen some parts of Hermione in action. "She's not trained physically, but she's not necessarily out of shape. She managed to keep up, kept her cool, and pushed back through any fear," Natasha noted as she was typing in her own observations onto her tablet.

"She has some hesitation when it comes to her own lethal attacks and I don't know if that's her nature or if it's because she's unsure of who her true enemies are. She didn't bat an eye at the lethal action I took against HYDRA," James said with a purse of his lips, "So she's clearly not unfamiliar with violence. She's mentioned things that certainly flag some sort of hardship and her level of preparation speaks of experience."

"That just gives me more questions," Stark whined which earned a chorused murmur of agreement.

"I think, with time, she'll trust us."

"But should we trust her?" asked Steve.

James ran a hand through his hair at that somewhat loaded question.

"I'd like to think so. Yes."

There was another pause and then whatever tension the room had drained. "Well, if she can dust every HYDRA base like she did the one last night, I'd rather have her on our side than anyone else's," Stark quipped.

They closed off the debrief early with a promise to reconvene in the afternoon if they can decrypt more files from the download. James watched Stark and Banner walk off likely towards the labs. Steve, Vision, Natasha, and Wilson grouped to go to the gym to get some training in. "I'll check on, Hermione."

Natasha smiled that innocent smile of her at him but didn't say anything. They went their separate ways and James walked back up towards the living area. When he approached Hermione's door he felt the same heavy air he associated with Hermione's shield and quirked a small smile.

He knocked on the door and a few moments later, the door opened slowly. Hermione had some dark shadows under her eyes, her curls untamed no matter how much one of her hands tried to smooth it down. Her other hand was rubbing at her shoulder.

"Good morning," he said softly. "I hope I didn't wake you?"

She gave him a small smile in return. "Good morning, James. And no, don't worry. I was already awake." she glanced up at him in curiosity and cleared her throat before side-stepping. "Did you want to come in?" she asked.

"Thank you," he said as he cautiously stepped in. There was a strange sensation walking through her shield, almost as though he stepped through a cool cloud of mist. There was a section on the wall by the door that Hermione had laid her hand on, it glowed faintly as he passed through the doorway. He didn't think he was supposed to notice it and didn't mention it. "How are you feeling?" he asked instead.

He could see Hermione try and hide a wince as she turned away from him to walk over by the window and open a curtain. "Honestly?" she asked with a dry laugh, "I feel like I got run over a tank. Sore, bruised, massive migraine, and drained in a way, I don't think I should use my powers to even attempt warming a cup of tea."

He frowned but followed her to the couch Stark had set up in her personal living room. He glanced around taking in the layout of her quarters. It was similar to his that it had a closed-off bedroom and likely with the ensuite bathroom. A quick scan of the living room showed it was very similar to his own setup. On the small coffee table, he could already see Hermione had taken up the space with notebooks and pens, and off to the corner of the table was the small balm container.

"Is that a common occurrence when using your abilities?" he asked curiously.

She shook her head. "No, not really. At least not to this extent. It's probably all the wandless work I was doing," she said with a slight shrug. "I should be back to normal after a few days of rest."

"If you're sure?"

"I'm sure," she said as she tried to tidy her notes away. "Was there something I could help you with?"

"I just wanted to check-in with you. We can pass by the med-bay, get something to help you manage any pain, or your migraine if you like. The team is awake, so some more introductions will probably be made later if you're up for it." He shifted on the couch as he took in her need to keep busy, her hands moving and fidgeting over her table. "If you're hungry, I was going to go down to the kitchen for breakfast."

She looked overwhelmed for a moment, and he could understand, could relate a little because he was new here once. So much change in such little time to adjust, especially when surrounded by people who she must know were powerful in their own ways. But even still, he watched her square her shoulders.

"Food sounds nice." She stood from her couch, "let me just… I'll go change."

He nodded and waited patiently as she left to change out of her sleepwear. It looked like an old sport-tee with a team and logo he was unfamiliar with, and some baggy grey sweatpants, similar to the ones he favoured on his own downtime. He glanced around some more at the table specifically, taking in some of the loose notes she hadn't put away. Neat penmanship, equations of some sort and a lot of symbols he didn't recognize were drawn of several post-it notes. There was a cell phone he hadn't known she had that blinked to life with a message but glancing at the screen, it was encrypted. Probably a gift from LeBlanc, he thought.

He glanced around the room and notice that some surfaces along the wall the doorways and windows had some symbols etched into the walls. He wondered if those powered her shields in some way. He smirked a little at the thought of Stark seeing the slight changes she was making.

When Hermione exited her room, he stood and with a small grin held his metal arm out to her. "Let me give you the tour you should have gotten last night and then we can get something to eat."

She returned his grin with one of her own, although there was a shy hesitance in the way she took his arm.

"Okay."

Friday, July 15th, 2016
Hermione POV

After two weeks of living with the Avengers, Hermione found herself still trying to adjust. She met more of the team; she agreed to let F.R.I.D.A.Y. have access to her living quarter as long as she wasn't in the bedroom; she had meetings with Natasha and Steve, or consulted with Tony and Bruce whenever they came in to ask her about the nodes; James made an effort to check-in on her at least once a day, but being back with the Avengers kept him busy too. Outside of all of that, the Avengers mostly left her to her own devices.

Left on her own for large parts of her days had Hermione feeling lonely. Texting Gladiolus just wasn't the same as bantering with him at the bar. Photos of Persephone couldn't replace cuddling on the couch when the loneliness started hitting particularly hard.

Hermione sighed. She had moved her couch to be closer to the window and stared out at the large expanse of green fields. She'd spent most of the morning researching and had settled in for another long quiet day of frustrated brainstorming. Her pendant glinted in the sunlight from where she set it on the table.

She felt fairly certain that the Death Eaters tried to harness the energy of the node into the orbs she vaguely remembered them holding. She shuddered to think about what was happening in her world if they succeeded in making anything that worked like the pendant.

She picked it up and clicked the chain back around her neck. Hermione liked to think she was getting closer into figuring out how the pendant activated. Her notes and scans showed it was an overcharge of magic and intent.

Before the HYDRA mission, Hermione had used her magic pretty sparingly, especially since she had to be careful of who was watching. Any magic she did use didn't have the same level of power or intent behind it as she used on the mission. When she was at the node, her magic worked directly to powering the ley line. But away from the node, all of the residual magic from her spells could potentially be pulled into a focus, or in this case the pendant.

Leaning back against the couch and staring at her ceiling, she huffed. At least that's what her current thread of research was implying. But then it raised more questions. What exactly happened in the field before she landed here?

She closed her eyes to pull the memory of that day to the forefront of her mind. What she wouldn't give for a Pensieve right about now to make things easier.

She remembered Death Eaters were pulling magic away from the ley line and node. She remembered trying to stabilize the outpour, but then what? If the ley line had an ability to sense intent like the pendant, just what was it trying to do by sending her here?

A quick shake of her head, she cleared her thoughts. With more than enough free time on her hands, these questions had been on a loop. She honestly thought it'd make her go insane if she didn't do something different for once.

"Are you okay, Miss Granger?" F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice sounded from her ceiling. It took almost everything she had not to jump in surprise. While she'd had some conversations with F.R.I.D.A.Y. since allowing her into the space, it still startled her when the A.I. would initiate conversations.

"Peachy," she murmured before she sighed again. "I'm sorry, F.R.I.D.A.Y. I'm just… I don't know- restless I guess."

"Is there anything I can assist you with?"

Hermione held back her sudden urge to snark about wanting to go home, about the loneliness that was starting to settle in again, about wanting things to go back to normal. But then, what was normal? Paris could have been her new normal, but admitting that, did it mean it was also her new home? Even thinking about it made her head and heart hurt. Felt guilty at even thinking of snapping at the A.I. when she was only trying to help.

"I don't think so, but thank you," she said quietly, hand rubbing at her temple to ease her growing headache.

"If I may be frank with you, Miss Granger," started F.R.I.D.A.Y. "perhaps you should take a break from your research for today."

Hermione frowned up at her ceiling. "And do what?"

"What do you like to do?" F.R.I.D.A.Y. asked.

She thought it over. Since arriving in this world, Hermione didn't really do much. She researched. She worked. The bar and the friendships she made there was a nice distraction from her troubles. "I don't even know anymore," she admitted, tone resigned.

"What would you like to do?"

Hermione stood from the couch and stretched. "Honestly? Anything at this point."

"Mr Barnes, Mr Wilson, Miss Romanoff, and Mr Rogers are all in the gym. Would you like to join them?"

She paused. "Join them?"

"Yes. They are training."

Hermione glanced at the clothes she'd chosen for the day, an outfit she'd worn many times when she had basic excavating fieldwork back in her world. A simple black tee and black pants that stretched and offered good mobility. "I suppose I can… pass by? A walk around the compound will clear my head anyway," she said walking from her suite. "Could you guide me there?"

"Certainly, Miss Granger."

"Thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y."

She followed the instructions to the lower levels and soon she was in front of a large sectioned off area of the building she'd seen in passing. From the windows, she could see the four Avengers. Steve was by the punching bags at one end of the room. Natasha and James were sparring near the middle while Sam was resting on a bench downing a water bottle.

The door slid open silently for her, and Hermione hesitantly stepped in. Sam looked up when she approached the bench and greeted her with a small smile and nod. "Is it alright for me to be here?" she asked.

"Of course," Sam replied, there was a curious look in his eyes as he scooted over a little to give her more room on the bench and she cautiously took a seat.

Even though none of the others paused in their training, she had a feeling they all knew she'd come in. Natasha was pushing James back with several powerful jabs.

Sam set his water bottle down, turning on the bench to face her. "You okay?" he asked.

Hermione frowned. "Do I have a sign on my forehead or something," she grumbled in question.

His lips quirked in mild amusement. "Not quite. But, we know that being here is another thing you have to get accustomed too," he replied.

She shrugged then.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked.

"Just restless."

He nodded then. "Understandable. You know, I'm sure if you asked anyone of us would guide you anywhere in the city? If you wanted to see how different our New York is from yours, it'd be fun. I'm sure Tony would love to hear about it."

She blinked at him. "Really?"

It was Sam's turn to frown slightly. "You're not a prisoner here, Hermione. You're free to do what you want. I mean, as long as it's not to murder us in our sleep."

They shared a small laugh, but it didn't stop her shoulders from hunching up in defence. "I know." She didn't look away from him and she could see something like guilt flash through his eyes.

He rubbed at his cheek and thought. "We- ah… We might have been remiss in giving you space," he started, "we didn't want to overwhelm you by crowding around, you know? I can't really speak for the whole team, but I'm sure they're in agreement with me, that if you want you could find friends in us. We just didn't want it to look like we were forcing our presence on you. We wanted to make sure and wait until you were comfortable."

"Oh." The sound escaped from her lips and with it, the hesitance and caution she'd held since moving in followed. Her shoulders dropped, tension gone. She cleared her throat. "I'd like that."

They turned away to look at the others. Steve had joined in the spar teaming up with James. Hermione watched the way Natasha used both of their height and weight differences to her advantage and slam them to the ground in a twisting tangle of limbs.

Hermione turned to Sam. "You know, fighting usually looks kind of barbaric. But Natasha?" she turned back to see Natasha stand smoothly, "I never knew fighting could look so graceful."

The redhead woman smirked turning to them and not hiding the fact she'd heard their conversation. The trio paused their spar to approach the bench, greeting Hermione with smiles as they reached for their own drinks and towels.

"Do you wanna learn?" Natasha asked, eyes assessing. Always calculating but it wasn't a cold look, more curious. Hermione realized a lot of the Avengers were curious about her.

Hermione blinked in surprised and Sam grinned.

"Really? You'd teach me?"

Natasha nodded. "If you want."

"We can all help," James said, "Self-defence is something that everyone should know."

"Okay," she said with a smile. And this one felt more real than all the small smiles she'd been sharing for the past two weeks.

Tuesday, July 26th, 2016

Since that day in the gym and the start of her defence lessons, it was like an invisible wall came down. Soon, members of the Avengers would seek her out if they were free just to check-in and offer some company.

There were more shared meals amongst the group and Hermione watched the banter with amusement. There were more casual conversations between meetings, and slowly, that creeping loneliness started to seep away.

James still came by when he can, even if she'd seen him earlier in the day for training. They'd settled into a routine of checking in with each other in the evenings. Sometimes they just had small talk. Other times, they settled side by side on a couch. If they were in her living room, they usually read. James trying to catch up on all the history he's missed and Hermione studying. If they were in James's living room, Steve, Sam, and Natasha would join in, and it'd eventually become an impromptu pop-culture lesson. Sam and Natasha bickering about what was considered good music.

It was another early morning. Hermione had gotten into a routine with spending her mornings talking with F.R.I.D.A.Y. who had a large extensive knowledge of where to find the right references she needed for her research. Together, Hermione started learning the higher maths she missed out on because Hogwarts didn't teach it; she learned about the scientific and technological advances this world made that honestly amazed her.

There was a knock on her door, but too focused on the notes she was writing, she opened it with a flick of her wrist instead. "Come in," she called.

Whoever it was, she heard them step into the room but only realized just who it was from F.R.I.D.A.Y.s greeting, "Hello, Boss."

Hermione finished her sentence before she looked up at Tony Stark. He was casually looking around her living room, hands in his pocket. "I hear you and F.R.I have gotten buddy-buddy lately," he said in lieu of a greeting.

"Yes?" It came out more as a question than a statement, confused if she was doing something wrong, "F.R.I.D.A.Y. has been helping me with my research."

"Bring your notes," he said and gestured out of the room.

"What?" He didn't respond though, choosing to walk out of the room instead and Hermione rushed to gather her things and stuff a few things into her bag then rushed after him. "What is going on, F.R.I.D.A.Y?"

"Apologies, Miss Granger. I'm unable to say. But Mr Stark is aware of the hours I've logged working with you," she said but it just gave her more questions than answers.

Hermione pursed her lips as she followed after the man. "Are you upset with me?" She asked, "F.R.I.D.A.Y. only offered to help me."

Tony laughed lightly. "No, I'm not upset, excited really. Sorry," he said, "Pepper says sometimes I'm too abrupt. Here!" He led her into one of the labs he'd been working in with Bruce.

Bruce looked up at their entrance and waved from his usual desk at the back corner of the room. She'd been in the lab a few times consulting with their research on the ley lines, but at the time, there'd only been the one large desk Bruce was currently at. The rest of the room had been open for experimentation. Now, at the other end of the large room, there was another large desk in a corner as well as a table in the centre of the room. The centre table had several screens set up and paperwork all over it that looked like Tony's research. The one in the corner was clear except for one simple screen and a large chair.

"I'm confused?" She clutched her notes to her chest.

The sometimes green man rolled his eyes. "What Tony is not saying is he cleared a space for you. To work and study. It's always good to have a separate space for work and home," Bruce said with a gentle grin.

"Yeah, what he said!" Tony led her closer to the cleared desk. "Just let F.R.I know if you need anything, pens, paper, notebooks. She said you preferred that to computers. But I'm sure between Bruce and I, we could convert you to modern tech in no time."

"Why?" She asked.

Tony frown confused. "What do you mean why?"

"You've already given me a home and offered me protection. Why are you giving me this?"

Bruce chuckled and turned away leaving Tony to struggle in explaining his constant need to give. Tony glared at him, "Don't laugh at me, Brucey," he whined, "Why do people always question me when I want to gift them things."

He looked Hermione in the eye. "Is 'I want to' a good enough answer?" he asked but didn't give her time to respond, "I looked at what you're studying with F.R.I.D.A.Y., sorry I'm nosy and she can't lie to me. You're smart. You're quick. And we like you. Isn't that enough?"

"But I can't pay you back for any of this! This is a lot, and I already owe you for having a roof over my head and-"

Bruce had dropped his attempt to work and walked over to the pair, a hand clasped over her shoulder to cut her worries short. "You can rant to Tony all you like about feeling indebted to him, but he magically goes deaf when those conversations start. It'll be better to save your breath." he chuckled.

Hermione slowly placed her notes onto the desk. But looked at the two of them, "I don't know what to say?"

"A thank you would be nice," Tony said.

Hermione laughed. "Thank you, Tony. Truly. This is too much."

Tony shrugged. "It isn't too much. But you're welcome. And you think you're not doing something to pay me back? You're wrong. You're helping us take down HYDRA, you're helping us keep these ley lines safe. That's more than enough thanks."

"It's always nice to have another person to talk science with," Bruce commented.

"I'm not quite as knowledgable as you both, yet. But I can learn."

The duo smirked. "We know," said Bruce.

"Oh! Before I forget, the next room is where we are gonna do all the explodey experiments," Tony said pointing to the other lab across the hall. "I had all the windows there replaced for triple reinforcements. I wanna have a look at the pendant research you sent me last night."

Hermione blinked. "You already finished reading it?" She asked surprised.

"Yep."

She glanced at Bruce who shook his head, "I'm partway through."

Turning back to Tony, she quirked a brow up. "Do you sleep? Does anybody in this place sleep?" she asked.

Tony just laughed and then pointed out that his favourite feature in this lab was the coffee and espresso machine he had sent up in a wall compartment in the hallway. He grudgingly said he made sure to bring in the electric kettle for her tea.

Hermione watched wide-eyed as Tony gave an enthusiastic tour of the two labs instead of the one she'd gotten on the first go around. "Is he always like this?" she asked Bruce who tagged along. She'd never really seen Tony this energetic. She'd seen him snarky for sure but in his element like this? It was a nice change and tone in banter.

He swept his slight curls away from his eyes and gave her a sheepish smile. "You learn to live with him and his too-much gene."

Sunday, July 31st, 2016

Even when things went well, there were some days where Hermione woke up with a sadness in her.

Gladiolus must have remembered how melancholic she got on these days. There were several messages on her phone from him, all light-hearted stories of his days and gossip in from the bar to keep her in a good mood. He'd sent enough photo and videos of Persephone to tide her over.

Friend's birthdays were always a little hard. She wrote a letter yesterday to Neville for his birthday, she wrote each and every one of her friends' letters on their birthdays and saved them in her bag with the hope of one day being able to pass them along.

It always hit her more when it was Harry or Ron's birthday. Her closest friends, first friends. She missed them and hoped they were doing well.

Despite it, she kept up with her routine. Natasha was out of town on a mission with Steve, but Vision and Sam were more than willing to help her with her practice the self-defence routines Natasha put together for her. They spent most of the morning working on the power behind her hits and practice escaping different holds.

There was some news that on the way back from their mission, Natasha and Steve would be picking up some other Avengers Hermione heard of, but hadn't yet had the chance to meet. James was away for most of the day but she didn't know where.

She'd helped Bruce in the lab during the afternoon while Tony complained about being stuck in meetings all day. They'd made some advances in her research and started comparing the maps from her world she had from her notes to the maps of this world. With a basic understanding of the differences, it was easier for her to start mapping out the ley lines that crossed over the Americas.

When everything was done for the day, and as the sun started to set, Hermione found her way onto the roof. There, she settled into a small lookout spot F.R.I.D.A.Y. directed her to one restless day when the whole team had been called to a meeting.

She leaned against the railing, letting the breeze brush through her hair. Watched as the sky changed colours, the yellows, oranges and reds fading into deep pinks and purples and blues.

Before it got too dark, she pulled out her notebook and started penning her birthday letter to Harry.

Dearest Harry, her letters to him always started the same way.

Wishing you a Happy Birthday. The happiest birthday to my best friend. I'm sorry again for having to miss another one but I hope that it's a great one for you; that this day and every day that follows is full of love, great food and even better company.

I wonder how you're doing, how everyone is doing, and I can only hope that you're all okay. I send my well-wishes out and hope that one day, you will get these letters and know that I love and miss you with all my heart.

One day, I hope we can meet again so I can give you a real birthday hug. Or… Just to get a hug from you in general. Please give my love to everyone, add an extra hug and tell them it's from me.

Again, Happy Birthday, Harry.

All my love,
Hermione.

She stared at her notebook and the letter before she gently ripped it from the spine of the book. With quick silent casting, the paper folded itself into a small origami flower. She opened the small bag she still strapped to her thigh every day after training and placed it in the small pocket with the rest of her letters.

Packing her notebook away again, she leaned against the railing again with a pout. The sun was almost gone now, sleep would escape her tonight.

"Hello," someone called.

Hermione looked up and behind her to see James standing back by the entryway. He was dressed casually in dark pants and a light and loose teeshirt to stave off the heatwave they were having. With night falling quickly, it was cooling and a lot easier being outside at this time instead of during the day.

"Oh, welcome back," she said, "Vision told me you were out today."

James nodded as he approached, leaning against the railing with her. "Thanks. How was your day? Wilson mentioned you seemed a little sad today."

Hermione flushed slightly, patting her cheeks as she avoided his gaze. "Ah. I didn't think I was that obvious."

James reached out, another of his reassuring hand over her shoulder. "We're an observant bunch," he said lightly, "did you wanna talk about it?"

She shrugged. "It's silly."

He shook his head. "I doubt it."

Hermione huffed, still rubbing at her cheeks and trying not to pout or frown, or unload all of her melancholy on him. "It's… It's my best friend's birthday today. I just felt a little sad about missing it is all."

"You're allowed to feel sad about that. I don't think it's silly," he said.

"It's just that there are so many other things to feel sad about."

James turned to face out into the field. "Maybe, but it doesn't make your reason any less valid." He turned back to her and held a hand out, "Do you trust me?"

She took his hand. "You know I do, James."

He smiled and tugged her along. "Come on."

Hermione tried to fight off the smile as she followed behind him through the building and to the garage. He stopped in front of a motorbike. It looked similar to the sleek black one they left behind in France, but this one had a bit of a blue shine to it. In front of it was a selection of helmets and he took one and passed it to her with a daring quirk of his brow when she hesitated.

"Do you not drive cars?" she asked accepting the helmet.

The quick lift of his lips was gone fast but she still caught the slight smirk. "I prefer the bike," he said as he helped her adjust the strap of her helmet. "You got that jacket you wore on the mission? I noticed it was reinforced with some strong padding?"

She nodded and pulled it out from her bag while he pulled his own jacket off the hook.

"You're making me question my trust in you," she deadpanned but he just laughed.

"You are a curiosity. You can storm into a HYDRA building. You can confront a stranger who could have been after your life. You're willing to fight, and from what I've seen, keep fighting. Why does my bike make you nervous?"

She flicked down the visor of the helmet. "Maybe it's your driving?" she retorted.

He hummed in amusement. "I don't think so."

She followed him onto the bike and held tight when he revved the bike to life. She closed her eyes when they zoomed off and out of the building.

They were cruising down the road getting closer and closer to the city. Slowly the nerves passed and Hermione was able to open her eyes, resting her head carefully on his back as she watched the scenery speed past them.

It was just the roaring of the bike and the wind and a strange feeling of safety despite the alarming speeds that had Hermione forgetting her little bout of sadness. Perhaps she was warming up to the idea of the motorbike. She thought.

She wasn't sure how long they were on the road for but eventually, they were pulling into a small side street and parking. James helped her off the bike and from underneath the seat pulled out a baseball cap and pulled it on after taking off his own helmet. Then he turned to her and held out an arm to lead her through the city streets. Under his other arm, he held his helmet.

"Where are we going?" she asked, her own helmet tucked under her arm. She hoped her curls weren't too unruly.

He glanced down at her. "I thought you trust me?"

"I do."

"You must not like surprises then?"

Hermione laughed. "Oh. I like them, but I've never been one to not ask questions."

There was something like amusement in the way his eyes crinkled with his smile. "I noticed."

They walked down two left turns and then stopped at a bakery. She took in all the sweet smells of freshly baked pastries and bread. She was surprised they were still open.

"What are we doing here?"

James pulled her into the bakery with an arm over her shoulder. "We're going to celebrate your friend's birthday. You wanted to celebrate it didn't you?"

She felt her nose burn and eyes glisten at the thought. Hermione smiled brightly at him. "Thank you," she said earnestly.

Moments later they were sitting on the sidewalk next to the motorbike. Helmets by their feet. They each had a pastry in hand. They both softly sang a quiet Happy Birthday to Harry and ate in silence. It was a short moment, but a sweet one too.

They were back on the road moments later but instead of heading straight back to the Avengers Compound James detoured and they stopped at a clearing about fifteen minutes away with the viewpoint of the Hudson River.

The crickets were loud and the cicadas even louder. But it was nice. "Thank you… again," she said, "For everything really."

James nodded. "You're welcome."

They were leaning against the railing again, almost like they were on the roof at the compound. Hermione was showing him the videos of Persephone that Gladiolus sent and they laughed together at how her cat stumbled and jumped over a feather toy. She felt better than she had that morning, a lot better in fact, but she still felt like something was missing. When she swiped to the next attachment, she stared at a photo of Gladiolus's arm cuddling Persephone close.

"I…" Hermione flushed and turned away, standing straighter her arms coming up to wrap around herself after pocketing her phone. "Can I ask an awkward question?"

"Sure."

"And you can say no," she insisted when she faced him again.

He gave her a reassuring smile.

Hermione took in a deep breath, her arms dropping loosely by her sides, hands fidgetting with the sleeve of her dragonhide jacket. "Can I have a hug?" she laughed weakly trying to fight off a frown. "I mean- it's just there was my cat, Persephone, who I could hug whenever I wanted, and Gladiolus- but here, I'm not-"

James pulled her close slowly to give her a choice to change her mind. "My hugs probably won't be as good as Persphone, or LeBlanc, or your friends back home," he said as Hermione stepped as close as she could and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "But I'd like to think we're friends now too," James continued softly, "so… if you need one. You can have one. Whenever you need."

It was the first hug she's had in a month. Hermione hadn't realized how much she missed simple gestures of affection, but then she'd always been a very tactile person and words of comfort only went so far.

"Sorry," she whispered but didn't let go.

She could feel James shake his head, his arms still steady around her. "Nothing to apologize for."

When she let go, it was with a deep relieving breath. "Thank you, James."

He brushed a hand down her hair. "You don't have to thank me for hugs, Hermione. But, you're welcome."

She smiled at him and followed him back to the motorbike. As she settled onto the bike, arms around him and driving through the night again, she closed her eyes. James thought she was a curiosity, but he clearly didn't know how much of one he was himself.

This James was different from the quiet and curious one who checked in on her and seemingly enjoyed her company. Different from the one who smirked at her with a challenge in his eyes and a snarky dare on his lips during training. That even after everything he's been dealt, there was still something so soft behind all the danger and mayhem.

He revved the bike just before a turn and she held on tighter. It made her wonder.

I'M BACK. Behind schedule, because (if you follow me on Tumblr you might be aware) my laptop broke last month. I haven't yet bought a new one but I'm saving for one! In the meantime, I typed most of this on my phone. I borrowed a laptop this weekend to edit/re-write faster but I have to return it tomorrow.

Lots of dialogue in this chap and less action because everyone needs to rest and to get to know each other. Also, touch-starved Hermione (and probably Bucky lets be real). Sorry not sorry.

A few people have been sending me some asks over on Tumblr, so feel free to check in on their questions!

Thank you all so much for your support, feedback, and patience on this! I hope you're still enjoying it.

Until the next one, I hope it won't take a month.

Stay Safe!