I am so excited to share this story with you. Fair warning-this is my first story. I'm sorry for any and all mistakes in my writing. I also wanted to point out that the point of view changes between the main character and third person. I am putting a solid line across the screen to designate the change. There were some formatting issues, so I'm working to make sure that the changes are noted throughout the story.

To avoid copying the same plot lines as many of the stories, my fic focuses on an original character, Jamie. Stick with it past the first few chapters as the Avengers begin to play a larger role in the story.

I didn't follow any specific timeline. Vision is there so after Age of Ultron yet everyone is on friendly terms and no talk of the Accords so before Civil War yet Spiderman is part of my fic. Sorry, but I needed another teen in the story.

Lots of angst and fluff. I would really love to hear any feedback you may have. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing.

Chapter 1

"Did you remember the napkins?"

Exasperated, "Yes, Mom, I packed everything while you were at work!"

"I brought my frisbee," my little sister Lizzy proudly offered.

Mom and I both smile at her youthful enthusiasm. She's six years old and being seven years older than her, I can still remember when she was born. At first, I was so mad at Mom and Dad for bringing home this little screamer who got all of their attention. It didn't take long though before I was just as enamored with her.

The park is so lush and green, finally looking and feeling like spring, who's beauty is intensified by the warm, bright sun. I look around and take in a deep breath, refreshed, "It's so beautiful today. Hard to believe it was only 50 degrees yesterday and rainy."

Lizzy runs ahead of us, "Let's have the picnic here, Mommy."

Lizzy finds the perfect shady, flat spot. Lizzy pulls her frisbee from her backpack and starts playing. "Jamie, come play with me."

"Be there in a minute."

Mom quickly stepped in, "Go ahead Jamie, I can set this up. I'll let you know when it's time to eat."

I shoot Mom a quick smile and run after Lizzy.

Lizzy and I take turns throwing the frisbee back and forth. Wow, she's gotten so much better at throwing a frisbee, I think to myself. On cue, Lizzy throws the frisbee over my head. I chuckle at her timing and run after it.

Right before I reach the grounded disk, I notice a strange man wearing an all-black suit with a black fedora just standing there watching us as if waiting for the perfect moment. So weird. He doesn't belong among the people wearing shorts and tank tops out enjoying the nice weather. The man in black looked down at the couple relaxing on the blanket next to ours and calmly said, "Kill her."

Without hesitation, the man grabs the knife they were using to cut cheese then stabs her over and over. I'm stunned, unable to move or talk. People are screaming. The man in black places several more demands that are quickly obeyed. I look over at my mom and sister who are holding each other, shaking. Lizzy is crying and my mom is screaming.

"Kill her."

I scream as a sharp pain shoots through my forehead. I hear a loud noise, then everything goes black.

"Wha…?" Cautiously lifting my head, disoriented by the ringing in my ears and the darkness, I wake coughing heavily. It's completely dark and the air burns my sore eyes. Smoke. People screaming and crying, sirens…"Oww," I sputter all of a sudden becoming acute aware of the pain in my head. I'm on the ground, on grass. Grass, I'm…at the park? I think to myself trying to piece together the clues left behind. I pull myself up and fumble my way around the splintered and burning trees, picnic tables and people, Mom…Lizzy before tripping over... Scurrying away, I manage to get back to my feet but am frozen, all I see is smoke and debris. At the park, at the park, Mom, Lizzy, at the park…

I hear a strange clanking noise like metal crunching through the splintered wood and rocks. Stealing a glance over my right shoulder, I try to comprehend what's coming for me. It's Iron Man? I think to myself. What? I think he just said something. I don't understand.

Iron Man picks me up with the hurried instruction to hang on.

What? I don't understand. I see the horrific scene move further and further away. Flying, I think I'm flying. No, no, stop. Mom, Lizzy!

Iron Man sets me down on the grassy hill away from the darkness but I can still see smoke other there. Is that where I was? Mom… then everything goes black again.

The skin on my back and legs itches from the rough bleached sheets on the hospital bed. How did I get here? Ambulance, yeah, that's right, I remember now. The chaos of the park is at the forefront of my mind but periodically I notice the doctors and nurses who frequently enter or exit, bustling around the room using various medical instruments. I haven't talked to anyone, my mouth closed as if it has never opened. The unwelcome intruders keep asking me questions while shining bright lights in my eyes and poking me with needles, but I only sort of hear them. I think they want to know what happened but I don't really know. Smoke, fire, screaming, my head hurting, scary man in black. That's all I remember, I think, answering their questions in my mind.

The nurse introduces me to a social worker, she looks nice.

"What's your name, honey?"

I don't respond. Like I forgot how to talk.

"Your name's Jamie, right?"

I look over at her. My name…Jamie. Yeah, Jamie, that's my name.

Watching my expression, the social worker says, "Good, yes, your name is Jamie. The other day, you were at the park. There was an explosion."

Explosion…yes. Smoke, screaming, the man.

"Jamie, you were with your mom and sister, right?"

My mom and sister…we were at the park...screaming, smoke, pain in my head. My mom and Lizzy are dead. They aren't here so they must be dead.

"Jamie, I have some bad news. Your mom and sister didn't make it, they died in the park."

The social worker stopped talking. What did she say? Yeah, Mom and Lizzy are dead…in the park…explosion…pain.

"It doesn't look like you have other relatives. Is that right?"

Relatives? What?

"Jamie, when the hospital releases you in a few days, your new foster parents will be here to take you home. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Foster home. Mom, Lizzy…dark.

"I'm going to go now. If you have any questions or want to talk, please call me. Here's my card."

The social worker holds out a card for me to take but I don't bother to reach for it.

"Ok, Jamie, I'll just put it on your table."

The social worker leaves the room and is talking to the doctor. I hear her say "trauma" and "foster parents."

I just keep seeing the same images over and over. That's all there is.

"Jamie, you have another visitor. It's, uhm, it's Tony Stark," the nurse gushes.

I look over and see Tony Stark standing in the doorway to my room. The nurse whispers something to him then Mr. Stark nods.

"Hi there, remember me?"

What? No. Tony Stark?

"Maybe you remember Iron Man, that's me, I'm Iron Man. I pulled you out of the debris at the park."

I don't respond.

"Hey, I was hoping you could tell me about what happened there?"

The park…smoke…screaming…man in black.

Mr. Stark waits, silent for a few moments but says, "Ok, maybe you will feel more like talking another day."

Mr. Stark leaves the room stopping to talk to the nurse in the doorway. I only hear a few words "no family," "foster home," "PTSD." Then, Mr. Stark looks back at me with a sad look before he walks away.

A few days later, a nurse comes into my room with Mr. Stark. "Alright Jamie, today's the day, you get to leave the hospital now."

I look at them but don't respond. Foster home.

Mr. Stark walks over to my bed, "Remember me?"

I nod.

Mr. Stark smiles at my response. I guess he's happy I responded.

"So, it sounds like you don't have a place to live," Mr. Stark remarks.

I look away thinking about the foster home.

"I was thinking…how about you live with us at the Avenger's compound. We could be your, um, foster parents. There are lots of people in and out so… What do you think?"

I don't respond.

Mr. Stark sighs, "Ok then, let's go."

I don't have anything to take with me. The social worker brought in an outfit for me but that's it. I follow a half-step behind Mr. Stark.

"You can call me Tony, Ok?" Tony pauses looking for a response, "You're gonna love it. There's always something going on and we've got some really cool stuff. Do you like to swim?"

Swim? What?

"Well, we've got a pool, oh, and a screening room to watch movies."

Movies? Smoke…screaming…pain in my head…man in black.

Tony looks back at me to find my expression unchanged. "Ok, well I'll just stop talking then."

We walk through the uncomfortably bright hospital corridors and to the automatic sliding glass door that leads to the hospital's parking garage. Waiting at the curb by the elevators and door, sits a fancy red sports car. "Climb in," Tony instructs seeing my hesitation.

I open the door and get in.

"Do you like the top down or are you one of those girls who doesn't want their hair to get messed up?" Tony playfully quips.

I look away without answering.

"My choice, great, I prefer top down," Tony says.

We drive for about an hour. The trip has taken us out of the city into the middle of nowhere. I wonder how much longer until we get there.

"We're here," Tony exclaims as if reading my thoughts.

At first, I only see the woods but something starts to emerge through the trees. Wow! The Avenger's compound is a huge contemporary building. It looks like it's built with cement or at least it's a light gray color and has massive sections of all glass. It's built with curves and contours that almost match the surrounding hills. It's amazing.

"What do you think?" asks Tony. He looks over and takes my expression as his answer, "Yeah, it's pretty cool."

A large black jet flies low overhead and hovers over a patch of asphalt that begins to open up. I continue to watch as the jet slowly lowers into the below-ground hanger. "This is the Avenger's base camp and your new home."

Home? Mom…Lizzy…dead.

Tony pulls up to the curb by the door, with a jolt from driving way too fast then stopping quickly. "Ready?" Tony asks with excitement. I nod then we both get out of the car. With a push of a button, the car drives off without anyone behind the wheel. I look at Tony stunned, Wow. He flashes me a grin basking in my surprise, enjoying the opportunity to show off.

"Come on, let me show you around." I follow Tony as he walks through the main door. It's so big. "This is the main entrance. The living quarters are this way." Tony casually points to the left, ignoring the stares from everyone in the lobby.

We walk toward a metal door on the left side of the entrance. Tony swipes a card and enters a pin number, the door beeps when the mechanism unlocks. He holds open the door for me, waving me inside first.

The living quarters feel homier than the main entrance and certainly more like a home than the building looks from the outside. The contrast between the office building like lobby just on the other side of the door and the home that's before me is astounding. As soon as you walk through the door, there is a foyer that opens up to a large living room. There are a couple couches, end tables with lamps, and a TV. The walls are minimally decorated with art. Tony continues the tour to a large kitchen with a breakfast bar that could seat six people with a separate dining area that houses a large dark wood table. It's informal but elegant at the same time.

Tony points out a separate corridor, "Down that hall is the game room, gym, pool, and screening room."

Continuing the tour, Tony leads me to another long hallway. "This wing houses all of the private rooms."

A few doors down Tony stops directing me to a beautifully decorated sign that reads, 'Welcome Jamie.' "This room is yours."

Tony steps back a few feet allowing me to enter my new room first with maybe a hint of excitement in his eyes. Once inside, I pause to take it all in. It's a nice size room, the walls painted neutral cream color with all of the normal pieces of bedroom furniture. It reminds me of a dorm room or studio apartment. On the right wall next to the door is a full-size bed with a plain gray comforter and two fluffy pillows. Next to the bed is a small nightstand with a lamp and alarm clock. On the other side of the room I have a row of windows with a desk and chair underneath.

"It's not much right now, but you can decorate it however you want. Just let me know what you like and we will pick it up for you," Tony offers with a kind smile.

Continuing around the room, I notice another room tucked away on the left side of the room. Tony chuckles when he sees my reaction, "Yes, you have your own bathroom." It's a basic bathroom but elegant too. There's a sink with a nice sized granite counter and a small bench seat with a large mirror as soon as you enter along the right side. On the left is a toilet and a large tiled shower with a gray shower curtain. Next to the shower is the entrance to a walk-in closet with lots of room to hang clothes and a dresser. I touch one of the shirts that are hanging in the closet. Tony seems to understand what I'm thinking, "We already purchased some clothing for you to get started."

I nod, surprised that they bought me clothes, pushing the thoughts of my old clothes out of my mind unwilling to deal with the grief that hits me every time I am reminded of something from my old life.

"Alright, well, you are free to move around the living quarters. You can have any food in the fridge that isn't labeled. Let me know if you need anything." Tony leaves and closes the door behind him.

I'm alone.