a/n: and I am back for the final installment of this little adventure... Now I am warning you guys now. Updates may be a little slow. My class load this semester is a bit more intense than last semester so the time to write has decreased :( Dont worry though. I have six chapters of this one done for sure so I'm hoping to keep it up.
Anyways...if you have stumbled upon this story I highly suggested that you go back and read the ones that come before it. The order of the series is : One More Night, Dark Side, (The Little Things which is a collection of oneshots), and This is War. Those explain whats going on.
So without further ado here is the first chapter to Live to Rise...
Chapter 1
18 Years Later
Tony's heart felt heavy. He knew it shouldn't; it was a happy day. It was the twins 18th birthday. But still there was a tug deep in his chest that kept him quiet as he hung the decorations.
It was an ache that had a double meaning. One was that he was old. His babies were growing up and there was nothing he could do about it.
The second was more deeply rooted in the past. His heart ached for Natasha and Clint. They had never got the chance to celebrate their little girl's 18th birthday. He knew that every year on Lucy's birthday the couple would treat to their floor not to be disturbed.
Lucy's death had hit all the Avengers hard. It was like Loki had stolen a piece of their hearts.
A small amount of joy returned when Pepper gave birth to Amelia and Anthony, but the pain in both Natasha and Clint's eyes was not easily covered up.
Natasha coped by helping out with the twins whenever she got the chance. The two had almost become her children as well. Clint withdrew for a long time. He rarely went near the twins when they were younger. He slowly warmed up them; accepting the fact that his baby girl was gone.
The Peggy and Steve had little Oliver Phillip. Clint was extremely close to the frail little boy. Tony had always thought it was because he saw Lucy in Oliver.
The youngest kid was Jane and Thor's son, Dustin. Dustin was a spitting image of Thor; just as enthusiastic and strong.
Anya and Lida chose to go into S.H.I.E.L.D. once they were old enough. Lida had stayed her usually bubbly self while Anya seemed to harden and become a lot like Natasha.
Everyone had grown up.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Pepper asked pulling Tony out of his thoughts.
He gave his wife a weak smile.
"Nothing, I'm fine," he said straightening a streamer.
Pepper raised an eyebrow, "You're a horrible liar, Tony Stark."
Tony sighed and turned to face Pepperl, "I was thinking about Lucy," he confessed.
"What about her?"
"She'd be nineteen," Tony said softly.
"Yeah, she would be," Pepper replied.
"You heard from Nat and Clint?" Tony asked walking around the room to make sure everything was in place.
"They won't be done with their OP in time for the party. They gave me the kids gifts and asked if I would feed Shadow," Pepper replied.
Tony chuckled, "I still can't believe they let Bruce experiment on that dog."
"I don't think they wanted her to die," Pepper said softly.
Bruce had figured out a way to freeze Shadow's aging so the dog was perpetually 5 years old.
"Oh. My. Gosh! Daddy, it's amazing!" Amelia exclaimed as she and her brother walked in.
Amelia flung herself into Tony's arms, squeezing him tightly. Tony smiled and returned the hug. He pulled away and held her at arms-length. She had grown up into a beautiful young woman. Her hair was the same brown as his own, but as straight as her mother's. She had amazing blue eyes that could melt his heart from day one. She was more like him than he would like but still he loved her with all his heart.
"Happy Birthday, Baby Girl," Tony said trying not to tear up.
Amelia smiled brightly, "Thanks Daddy."
"Now, where's my boy?" Tony called out turning to Anthony.
"It's great Dad. You did a good job," Anthony said shoving his hands into his pockets.
Pepper nudged him forward, "Go hug your father."
Anthony rolled his eyes but stepped forward and embraced Tony.
"You're never too old for a hug," Tony mumbled in Anthony's ear.
"Sir, the guests are arriving," JARVIS announced.
Anthony pulled away and smiled at Tony.
"Go have fun," Tony said nodding his son off.
Anthony walked off to the elevator, greeting his friends as they came in. Steve, Peggy, and Oliver came in after the party had started. Oliver stuck to Steve's side as usual. The poor boy was a carbon copy of his father pre-serum. Oliver was tall and lanky. His sandy blonde hair was ruffled and his brown eyes were constantly scanning the room. However, despite his frail, nervous exterior, Oliver was a strong athletic boy who was an automatic leader.
The part Tony found the most amusing was Oliver's involvement in the musical world. The boy certainly had a set of pipes and could dance like no tomorrow. The other kids picked on Oliver for his singing, but the boy stayed strong.
Tony watched Amelia, Anthony, Oliver, and Lida dance with their friends, smiling to himself.
It was a good day. Seeing the kids smiling and having fun made his heart ache just a little less.
He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket causing him to pull it out and glance at the message. It was a text alert from JARVIS warning him of a possible security breach on the roof. Tony frowned and nudged Steve.
"Follow me," he said heading to the elevator.
Steve gave Peggy a quick kiss on the cheek then followed.
"What's up?" he asked once they were in the privacy of the elevator.
"Possible security breach on the roof. I just wanted to check it out," Tony replied.
"Awesome and it's raining," Steve said sarcastically.
The two men reached the roof and peered out into the pouring rain.
The roof was clear.
"I don't see anything, Stark. Maybe it was just a glitch?" Steve suggested.
"JARVIS doesn't have glitches, Cap," Tony replied squinting into the rain.
He trained his eyes on the air conditioning unit, trying to make out it's shape into the darkness.
For a brief second he saw a small of movement causing his hear to race.
There was a low whistle followed by a thump and searing pain spreading up Tony's arm.
He stumbled back in the elevator in shock. He grabbed his bleeding arm and wheeled to look at what hit him. Embedded in the wall was a single arrow.
"What the hell?" Tony hissed holding his arm and running out into the rain towards the air conditioning unit.
"Have you lost your mind?!" Steve exclaimed running after his friend.
Tony watched as a figure jumped off the roof and swung to a neighboring building, sprinting away. All he could see was the figure was dressed in all black, was wielding a bow, and was most definitely female.
"It's gone Tony! Let's get out of the rain," Steve said tugging on Tony's uninjured arm.
Once back in the elevator, Steve grabbed Tony's arm to examine the wound/
"You need stitches," he said meeting Tony's gaze.
"I'll go to Bruce, go change and go back to party," Tony said pulling his arm away.
"What about…" Steve started.
"I'll handle this, okay. Just keep an eye on the kids," Tony said getting off at Brue's floor.
Steve nodded and disappeared behind the doors.
Tony padded off to Bruce's lab, where he found the scientist working.
Bruce glanced up, "I didn't know you got a dunking booth."
"I didn't, I was attacked on the roof," Tony said sitting down on a stool.
Bruce stopped working and took off his glasses. "Attacked?"
"Yeah, JARVIS alerted me of a breach and I got shot in the arm," Tony explained holding up his arm.
Bruce rubbed the bridge of his nose and replaced his glasses. He gathered his surgical supplies and crossed to Tony.
As he began his work, Tony spoke up, "It was an arrow."
"An arrow? So we have an archer for an enemy now," Bruce said pulling the skin together.
Tony didn't even flinch; his mind was too busy to think of the pain
"I may be losing my mind," he said softly.
"We have all lost our minds, Tony. It's part of aging," Bruce replied finishing his stitches and wrapping a bandage around them.
"The archer was a woman," Tony continued.
"Well, that's not unusual," Bruce said.
Tony touched Bruce's shoulder causing Bruce to look up.
"Bruce, she had red hair," Tony whispered.
Bruce was silent; what Tony was implying was impossible.
"It was just your eyes messing with your brain, Tony," Bruce said turning away
"I know what I saw. It was a red head female archer. Bruce it all adds up!" Tony exclaimed.
"Except for the fact that Lucy died 18 years ago!" Bruce growled in frustration
Tony was silent.
"She's gone Tony. We all miss her. We all see her everywhere. But sh'e dead. That woman was not Lucy," Bruce explained.
Tony took a deep breath.
"I know that, but having the thought that that might have been ehrmakes the pain go away for a moment." He said.
"Think of the pain Natasha and Clint feel," Bruce said.
Tony didn't respond. He slid off the stool and left the lab, heading up to his own floor. He needed to think. Whoever the archer was, he knew she would be back and next time he would be waiting for her.
a/n: sooooooooooooooooooooo what did you guys think?