Chapter 4

Pepper through the penthouse to her daughters room. With every step the screaming got louder and it was stabbing her in the heart. By the time she flung the door open Rosie was up right in the bed still screaming. Her face was stained with her tears and it pained Pepper just to look at her. She quickly sat down on her bed and put Rosie's head against her chest.

"Shh, it's ok, it's ok. I'm here it's ok shh," she tried desperately to keep her own breathing under control but she was finding it hard, really hard. She calmingly stroked her daughter's wavy ginger hair as she cried into her top. Pepper closed her eyes and rested her head on Rosie's.

"Do you want to tell me what it was about?" she asked calmly. Rosie took a deep breath before pulling away to look her Mum in the eyes tears still falling down her cheeks.

"I was at the S.H.I.E.L.D base in New York the night before the attack on New York… I'm holding Colson in my arms as he slowly bleeds to death. He- he turns to me and he asked why I didn't save him. I told him I tried but he kept blaming his death on me and then he shape shifted into Loki and he put his staff into my chest… before he congratulated Mello for shooting Colson…" her whole body shook as she tried to keep back the tears.

"If I'd just got there sooner Colson wouldn't be dead! It's all my fault he's dead!" Rosie cried the tears finally coming out again.

"It's not your fault Rosie, it's Loki's he made Mello do it she had no idea she was doing it, you couldn't have done anything," she dragged her daughter back into a hug.

"He bled to death in my arms, I could have got there sooner if-if I'd run faster! Or-or taken my suit!" she blurted out.

"You can only go so fast sweetie."

"He shouldn't be dead! It's my fault! I'll always have his blood on my hands no matter how hard I try to wipe it off!"

"Look at me Rosie. It's not your fault it never was and it never will be ok?" Rosie stayed silent refusing to except that it wasn't her fault. Pepper sighed and lay Rosie's body back down and kissed her forehead.

"Go back to sleep sweetie," she whispered. She stayed there stroking her daughters hair as she drifted back to sleep. As soon as she was asleep a thought popped into Peppers head.

"J.A.R.V.I.S?" she whispered.

"Yes Mrs?" the IA answered quietly.

"When we were away how many nightmares did she have?"

"Every night Mrs, her last undisturbed sleep was over two weeks ago." Pepper sighed and closed her eyes she had a gut feeling about what they were about but she needed conformation.

"They all related to the attack on New York Mrs." Pepper sighed before kissing her daughters forehead and walking out the room. She looked out the celling to wall windows at New York, the city that's slowly tearing her family apart. The city that has made the two most important people in her life sleep deprived or have nightmares every night and left her with no way to help and it's killing her.

The next morning Rosie was torturing herself in the gym, trying to perfect moves she can't do, run for longer than she should and lift heavier than she should. She was on the balance beam and trying to perfect her back flip on it which usually she can do easily but this morning she's fallen off every time.

"Right. Let's try this again," she muttered to herself. She readied herself and flipped backwards. She misjudged it completely and hit her back off the beam before hitting the mat with a thud. A groan escaped her before she screamed into the map.

"Miss Stark?" J.A.R.V.I.S cut her scream short.

"What J.A.R.V.I.S?" she asked her voice muffled slightly by the mat.

"Director Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D is on the line." Rosie groaned and rolled over.

"Put him on."

"Agent Stark," Fury's voice now replaced J.A.R.V.I.S's mechanical one.

"Director," Rosie rolled her eyes.

"I want you on the Helicarrier immediately."

"What about?"

"I'll tell you when you get here and Stark?"

"Yep?"

"Wear your uniform this time we are an organisation not a government paying high school."

"Yes Nick," she rolled her eyes, "I'll see you in half an hour." When the line went dead Rosie dragged herself off the mat an out the gym before screaming.

"CLINT!"

Fifteen minutes later.

"I don't get why you had to get me to fly the plane why couldn't you have used your suit?" Clint grumbled.

"Because you're the only one here that can fly the jets well I can but not legally… and my suit is getting an update," she fiddled with the zip of her S.H.I.E.L.D issued cat suit that was halfway down her chest. Clint groaned as they flew through the air over New York.

"I really didn't want to go to the Helicarrier today."

"Well you are now and don't worry I'll force Agent Morse into giving me a ride back I'm good at persuading people."

"Don't I know it."

"So how are you and Natasha?"

"Why do you ask mini Stark?"

"No reason. Dinner last night was interesting," she smirked.

"Oh god you saw that?!"

"Yep well I thought I did but you just confirmed it." Rosie laughed as he groaned. When they landed on the Helicarrier Rosie said goodbye to Clint before walking out the Quinn Jet. Her back felt empty without her Katanas but it was only a trip to the Helicarrier what's that worst that can happen? Anyway she had her guns in their holsters on her legs if she needed them. She strolled across the runway her hips flying from side to side and into the base. She walked over to Fury's office and knocked on the door.

"Doors open," she heard his voice grumble.

"You called for me?" she asked.

"Stark you're here follow me," he got up from his desk and led her through the Helicarrier's many corridors she knew too well.

"Sooo Nickolas how are you today?" she asked breaking the icy silence that hung over them.

"Shut up Stark."

"Ok." after a couple of minutes she tried again, "You gonna tell me why I'm here?"

"You'll find out soon enough if you just shut up."

"Someone's a grumpy Cyclopes today."

"Do you want to be fires Stark? Because you're asking for it!"

"No Sir…" this time Rosie really did shut up. After another couple of minutes Fury stopped in front of one of the training rooms.

"Now I think you need a bit more to keep your mind occupied at the moment-" Fury started but Rosie cut him off.

"Look if this is another Hydra mission I'm off until the fist," Rosie held her hands in the air.

"This is more challenging than I Hydra mission, trust me."

"Pft, I doubt it have you seen those idiots?"

"As I was saying you need more to keep your mind occupied and I think this is the way forward for you at the moment. You will hold down this responsibility, your position as Agent here, as an Avenger and that little privet school you go to. So I want yo to meet the team you will be in charge off." He flung the door off and Rosie's mouth dropped.