Chapter 2|| The Love-Child of the Director
"Are you alright?" Steve asked as Lake hung back away from the group next to the large windows.
"Huh-uh, sure," she said watching how Thor would talk animatedly about nearly everything. She hadn't even seen Steve walk towards her; she was studying him so hard.
"Okay, let me rephrase that," Steve replied crossing his arms. "Why aren't you socializing?"
"Why aren't you?" Lake asked stonily. Steve chuckled.
"Unfortunately, I live with these people. I know how they like their coffee. What their schedule is and how often they shower. That last one isn't voluntary knowledge. Apparently, showering is only an "after battle" kind of thing on Asgard." Steve was pleased when Lake laughed quietly. "When you can tell me that, I'll let you off the hook for socializing."
"Hey Steve?" Lake asked.
"Yeah?"
"How do you like your coffee?"
"Black," he told her. He patted her shoulder and walked off towards the sitting room. Lake followed slower and sat awkwardly a few seats down from Thor.
"Lady of the Water," Thor started. "To what event did you acquire your abilities of lightning?"
"I don't have the power of lightning technically. I can absorb electricity at will, store it, and then send it out at will. Sometimes that means shocking people, or running an electric current through something. Like a metal cross bow for instance."
Tony laughed loudly, slapping Clint on the back. "I assume that was you, Legolas?"
"To be fair she hadn't learned how to control it then," Clint said. He glanced at Lake and saw her avoiding his eye and Nat stifling a laugh. "You did it on purpose!"
"It's possible," she replied. Clint's eyes narrowed, in an unnerving way.
"Okay, just wait. I'll get my revenge."
"Wasn't it a gamma radiation?" Bruce asked from across from Lake. "Isn't that how you acquired your powers?"
"Kind of, the field that I had been thrown into from the explosion was contaminated with small pockets of gamma radiation. I landed in one; the small amount mutated my cells enough, so that when I was struck by lightning a couple of times, I ended up absorbing the energy and storing it in my cells."
"Does that affect anything?" Tony asked. "Neurologically? Physically? Mentally?"
"Besides the Lichtenberg figures on my back, neck, and behind my ear, my I.Q. spiked to superior. I can process things fast and heal faster. I can't do anything physically faster. I suppose it is just neurologically and medically," answered Lake.
"That's so cool!" Tony exclaimed.
"For lack of a better word it is," Bruce agreed.
"I guess that's one way to look at it," she said quietly, uncomfortable with their scrutiny. Tony nodded almost unseen by Lake, then said,
"I think that I should show Lake to her half of a floor."
"I think that's a good idea. Then I think I'll show her around," Natasha added. Lake visibly relaxed now that people had stopped looking at her.
"This way Harry Potter," Tony said.
"I don't think you know what Lichtenberg figures are," said Lake.
"Sure I do, but are you telling me you don't want be to called Harry Potter related nicknames?" He asked leading her down the hall and to a set of stairs, which looked oddly out of places in the tech-y building.
"Hmm, I guess not. Harry Potter's pretty cool," she said.
"Read the books?"
"All seven," she replied.
"Thank god. I thought I was the only one. None of those uncultured swines have read them and only Natasha's seen a movie. And only one!"
"I've had a lot of time on my hands," replied Lake.
"No more, my young electrifying friend. You'll be training, planning, and living with us. There will never be a dull moment."
"I have no doubt."
Tony led her up two flights of stairs explaining that the freight elevator is only able to stop on the main floor which lies below the three living floors. The first one is inhabited by Natasha and Clint. The third was inhabited by Thor and Bruce. The second up until now, Steve only used.
"I would think Bruce would want to be next door to someone who isn't as…boisterous," Lake commented.
"Boisterous, good word. Bruce actually requested to be next to Thor. His thinking is if he ever Hulks out Thor can stop him. It'll take a lot for him to Hulk out though. He's gotten it to a point where only real threats on his life bring out the giant rage monster. I know, I've tried."
"You've…tried?" Asked Lake sounding horrified.
"Well, I've stopped now. He's lived here for almost two years. It would've happened if it could've."
"Okay, that makes me feel extremely safe and secure," Lake grumbled to herself.
"And this, the Girl Who Lived, is your floor," Tony announced.
Lake saw a small ten foot long hallway. There were two doors. There was one right across from the stairwell and one at the end of the hall next to a window. Tony led her down the hall and unlocked the door with a key. He handed it to Lake and opened the door. There was a small kitchenette and breakfast nook to her right and a sitting room to her left. The back wall was covered in windows, so Lake could see Central Park from them.
On the far left, there was a hallway that Tony showed her down. It made an "L" shape and he told her that the first door (before the turn) was a linen closet. Then after the curve there was a door on her left that was the bedroom and bathroom. About ten feet down was a door on the right which was a laundry room. There was another door at the very end of the hall which Tony told her was hers to with what she wanted.
"Wow, I understand what Clint meant about this being nicer than SHIELD."
"Anything is nicer than SHIELD sanctioned living."
"Good point," Lake laughed.
"I'll let you get settled, and I'll refrain from asking why you have a sword sheath until later tonight," Tony said.
"Thanks, and I think the latter is pretty obvious. I have a sword."
"Touché mon ami," he said.
She heard Tony's receding footsteps and then the door open and shut. She wasn't really certain what to do with herself. Lake stood a little shell shocked in the hall for a minute, until she managed to bring her stuff into the bed room. She put away her miniscule amount of clothing and tucked the duffle underneath the full bed. She was glad the place wasn't too extravagant. It would've made her feel really uncomfortable. There was just the bare minimum.
Lake was putting her tablet on the charger in the sitting room when someone knocked on the door. She walked over to the door and opened it. Natasha stood in front of her with Clint loitering behind. She moved aside so they could walk in, without saying a word. Clint sat a badly wrapped box on her breakfast bar and walked around a little.
"I see you've added your personal touch," Clint said gesturing to the tablet resting by the lamp.
"Thank you," Lake said cracking a smile.
"How overwhelmed are you?" Natasha asked as Lake shut the door and sat down with them.
"Not as much as I thought I'd be. It isn't too…"
"Gaudy?"
"Excessive?"
"Ornate?"
"Elaborate?"
Lake chuckled lightly and nodded. "Yeah."
"It isn't as bad as you think. They really like you. Tony and Bruce may want to dissect you, but they like you too," Clint said.
"Gee, that makes me feel warm and fuzzy," she shot at him. Clint shrugged.
"We'll show you the rest of the place," Natasha announced standing up.
They showed her the library, which Pepper and Steve apparently spend a lot of time in. They told her which floors the labs were on and to avoid them at all costs. Then they showed her the gym, which was Clint's favorite area. They took the elevator from the main floor, down two. It opened directly up to an archery range/boxing gym. Down another floor was the indoor pool and up one was a maneuvering training room. Basically it was where they practiced maneuvers. They worked every day on it. Since Central Park wasn't too far away there were a couple unobtrusive exits one could take to go running and avoid the general public.
When they made their way back up to the main floor they found two females sitting on the couch. Lake both recognized them, because they were in the file she was given by Fury. The one with reddish-blonde hair was Pepper Potts, Tony's girlfriend. The other was Jane Foster. She was apparently brilliant. Lake hadn't met either of them before, so as quietly as she could, she snuck around them into the adjoining kitchen where Steve was.
He was sitting on a barstool against an island sipping coffee and sketching something. He looked up and smoothly closed the book. He must've had a lot of practice to make it look like it was a normal movement. She knew it was a private thing and she knew that he wouldn't share it with anyone. She jumped up on the counter across from him and they sat in a slightly awkward silence for a while, until Steve asked,
"What do you normal do to work out?"
"Pilates, running, and sparring mainly. Fencing too, but that isn't so much of a workout as practice."
"Is your thing swords?" Steve asked.
"My thing?" She asked.
"Your preferred weapon of choice," he clarified.
"Oh, yeah, I guess. I started fencing when I was really young and when I joined SHIELD Clint and Natasha helped me find my "thing" as you put it. There were some unfinished silver and aluminum mixed swords they found and instead of finishing them I started running an electric current through them."
"I want to see how you fight with them tomorrow. Clint and Natasha say you're good, but I'd like to see how good."
"Sure," she replied nodding. "Do you like living here?"
Steve shrugged. "Sometimes. The first six months after I woke up I lived in SHIELD suits, after the Battle of New York we went out separate way for a little bit but then managed to find our way back. Well, Thor and I did. Clint and Natasha were doing missions and apparently training you. Thor lived in SHIELD like I did for another couple of weeks, and then Tony called us up and offered us a place here. He said since he was calling it Avenger's Tower, some Avengers might as well live there. It was hard to adjust from no technology to technology everywhere, but I coped and found ways to avoid everyone when I need too."
"It is all very different and oddly stable. Ever since the thing with the Redmonds I've always known nothing was permanent. This feels almost too permanent," she told him in an odd bout of honesty. Steve definitely invoked an odd sense of honesty in her.
"I think you need to stop spending so much time with Natasha and Clint."
"You're probably right. As far as influences go, they're not the most…stable."
"Pepper, honey, I don't see what the big deal is," Tony's voice sounded from outside the kitchen.
"You don't? Really? Because I see a very large problem, Tony Stark! One that I have to deal with. Just because you don't run the company anymore doesn't mean your choices don't…oh hello," Pepper said stopping short when she saw Lake.
"Pepper this is Lake, the newest probationary member of The Avengers," Tony announced.
"Why didn't you tell me she was coming today? You probably freaked her out," Pepper scolded. Steve grinned into his coffee mug. "Hi, I'm Pepper. I'm terribly sorry you didn't have a normal person here to great you."
"I'm normal," Steve said.
"No you aren't," Pepper replied without missing a beat. Lake smiled, she really like Pepper.
"It is nice to meet you, I'm Lake," she said.
"I'm assuming nothing has been ordered for dinner?" Pepper asked no one in particular.
"I vote pizza," Tony said.
"I'm fine with it," Steve replied. Lake just nodded, not really wanting to draw too much attention to herself.
"Find out what everyone wants and I'll order," Pepper said sighing.
"You're the best," Tony said kissing her cheek fondly.
"Yeah, yeah, go hurry up."
Dinner was very different. Most of the time Lake would just make something small in her little SHIELD apartment or go out with Natasha or Clint, sometimes both. There was a lot of laughing and anecdotes that continued the laughing. Jane and Pepper were both excited to have another female join the somewhat family. They were especially excited that they could be more like older sisters to her.
Lake didn't talk a lot during dinner. She did pay attention though. She noticed that even though Tony was obnoxious and narcissistic, he easily (and generally, gladly) shifted embarrassment of someone away and seamlessly changed the subject. Pepper was the one that held the chaos together. She was able to control everything without becoming nag-y. Thor and Jane were obviously in love, and it was frankly adorable. Their hands were always touching and they would share loving glances every once and awhile. Bruce was calm and quiet, but would participate in conversation as long as it was something of value.
Clint and Steve were talking quietly about something, but would occasionally share their opinions on what was the main topic of conversation. Natasha was generally talking with Pepper and Jane about various things. It went from dresses, to work out regimens, to college stories from Jane and Pepper. Apparently Jane was a bit of a wild card in college.
"So, how did you and Clint meet Lake?" Jane asked.
"They barged into my recovery room and probably thought I was a secret experiment," Lake said. She hadn't said a lot up until this point, so most of the other side conversations stopped.
"Did not! I thought you were Fury's secret daughter or something!" Clint protested.
"I'm not sure how that's better," Lake replied.
"You were watching that one show with the bonnet man," Natasha said.
"Firefly, and bonnet man's name is Mal."
"Firefly was an excellent show," Bruce said. Tony readily agreed.
"You thought she was the secret love-child of the Director?" Thor asked Clint. Lake snorted in her cup and started coughing.
"When you put it like that it sounds weird," Clint said.
"It sounded weird the other way, too," Natasha said rolling her eyes.
After dinner was finished she helped Clint and Natasha clean up and then she promptly excused herself to go back to her small apartment like living space. She walked in took a shower. She enjoyed taking showers. A lot of people had deep thoughts in the shower. They pondered the questions of the universe, using the word ponder. Lake didn't do that. She didn't think about anything in the shower. She just hummed small tunes to herself.
Afterwards, she lay in the very comfortable bed, reading. She wasn't really reading mind you, just the same page over and over. At least until she realized her thoughts were too busy to focus on anything. She knew this whole situation would end when her family was caught, so she promised herself she wouldn't become too attached to the other members of the Avengers. She fell asleep earlier than she normally did and dreamt about the horrors of what her parents had done. She didn't remember it though, she never remembered her dreams.