A/n: oh the joys of college... I hate falling behind on my poor readers. So here is a little valentines day gift to you all... Enjoy and keep the reviews coming :)


Chapter 7

Lucy was awake the moment the sunlight began to peak in through the shades.

She tiptoed out into the living room and noticed Phil had not gotten up yet. She glanced at the clock; it was only 5:30. She had plenty of time.

Quietly she exited the apartment and rode the elevator down. She slipped out of the lobby and out into the chilly morning air. She inhaled deeply and took off. Luckily, her destination was only a couple of blocks away. She ducked into an alley way and knelt behind the dumpster at the end.

Tucked away underneath a box was her leather back pack that she had stashed there before going to Stark Tower the first time. She slung the strap over her shoulder then began to head back to the apartment. She glanced at the clock in the lobby; she had only been gone for 30 minutes.

She flashed a smile at the desk monitor then continued up to the apartment. Just outside of the door, she took a deep breath and slowly turned the knob. To her surprise, Phil was awake and shuffling around in the kitchen.

Silently she prayed he had not realized her absence.

"Oh good, you're back. Breakfast is almost ready," Phil called out over his shoulder.

Lucy slumped her shoulders and sighed. She dropped her bag next to the couch and slid into one of the barstools.

"You get what you went out for?" Phil asked placing a plate of eggs and sausage down in front of her.

"Yeah, I did," she said with a sigh picking up a fork.

"Good," Phil replied with a smile.

"You're not mad?" Lucy asked poking at her eggs.

Phil chuckled, "You are not the first one that's done that."

"Thank you for breakfast," Lucy said offering Phil a small smile.

"No problem," He replied sipping his cup of coffee.

Lucy finished her meal quickly and then went to sit on the couch while Phil cleaned up. She pulled her bag onto her lap and rummage through its contents. Phil eventually came over and gave her a questioning look.

"So what have you got…if you don't mind me asking?" he said sitting down.

"Everything I own is in this bag," Lucy replied.

She pulled out a couple of shirts and a journal; nothing really special. It was the next items that got Phil's attention.

Lucy pulled out a small pistol and set it down on the coffee table.

"I can't always carry my bow," she explained.

Next was a necklace with a small golden bird on the chain.

"It was a gift from Frigga on Asgard,"

"It's beautiful."

Lucy smiled. The last item caused Phil to stop breathing monetarily. She pulled put a pale yellow blanket that looked pretty old.

"I'm told it's my baby blanket. Loki kept it. He said that's the only reason he knew my name. It's embroidered on it," Lucy explained showing Phil the corner.

Phil cleared his throat nervously and smiled. His mind went to the box he had put away early this morning with an exact replica of the blanket in it. That wasn't a detail that could be easily copied.

"It's not much, but it's all mine," Lucy said pulling Phil out of his thoughts.

He watched her shove everything back into the leather bag.

"So I have quite a few meetings today. I figured you could just hang out at the Tower till tonight," Phil said.

Lucy nodded, "Okay."

The two continued the rest of the morning in silence.

Phil found himself at a loss for words. After seeing the blanket, he was doing everything he could to keep himself from bursting into tears.

When they arrived at Stark Tower he led Lucy up to the meeting floor then left quickly.

Lucy didn't think much about the man's haste. She plopped down on the couch and picked up one of the books on the coffee table.

She began to flip through the pages absent mindedly, not really taking in the images.

"Hello."

Lucy slammed the book shut and snapped up to face the location from which the sound came from.

She found a man standing just outside elevator smiling softly at her.

He was a little younger looking than Phil. He wore glasses that were perched on the end of his nose. His button up shirt and slacks were very relaxed and his salt and pepper hair was disheveled. He had a welcoming feeling that caused Lucy to relax her shoulders slightly.

"I didn't mean to startle you. Phil told me you were her. You must be Lucy," the man said.

Lucy nodded.

"I'm Dr. Banner, you can call me Bruce though," the man continued.

"You're the Hulk," Lucy said softly.

Bruce chuckled, "Yes, I am."

"I'm assuming you're my babysitter for the day," Lucy said giving him a small smile.

"In a way, yes. If you would come with me, we'll go up to my floor.

Lucy nodded and followed Bruce up to his floor.

"I'm working in the lab if you don't mind," Bruce said.

"Not at all," Lucy replied.

She stared in awe at the massive size of the lab. There were so many computers that she couldn't even imagine what they were all for. She sat down on a stool and turned her attention to Bruce who had begun to work at a table.

"You have most certainly gotten Tony's attention and now it seems Coulson likes you too," Bruce started while he flipped through pages on a clipboard.

"Yeah, I guess I have." Lucy replied softly.

She watched Bruce pick up a syringe. "Do you mind if I take a blood sample? It would be the easiest way to figure this out."

"Go for it. I'm just as curious as all of you now," Lucy shrugged.

Bruce smiled and made quick work of taking the sample.

"So tell me, you have no memory of your parents?" Bruce asked.

"No, I don't, but…" Lucy started.

"But what?" Bruce questioned.

"Being here, in the Tower, feel familiar. Kind of like déjà vu," Lucy explained.

"Interesting," Bruce mumbled.

"I have these dreams with people I don't recognize. The most common one is with a man and woman. Both feel so comforting; it's strange," Lucy said.

"Maybe they aren't dream, but early memories," Bruce suggested as he set up the blood sample to be analyzed.

Lucy shrugged and watched Bruce load her blood into one of his machines.

"How long will it take before you get results?" she asked.

"A couple of hours," Bruce replied.

"Is there anything I could help with?" Lucy asked.

"Um, well, not at the moment, but I may in a bit," Bruce said with a smile.

Lucy found that she was quite content just watching the doctor work. She was mesmerized as he nimbly handled different chemicals.

"Father," a woman called out, catching Lucy's attention.

She hadn't noticed the woman enter the lab.

The woman embraced Bruce and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.

"You're home early," Bruce said.

"I know, I finished up quickly, "the woman explained.

"I'm glad," Bruce replied.

Lucy watched the two interact with great interest. The woman was beautiful. She appeared to be older than herself. She had long dark hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. Her skin was quite pale with a little tan. She was exotic compared to Bruce.

"Who are you?" the woman asked turning to Lucy.

"She's our guest. Lucy this is my daughter, Anya," Bruce answered.

"Lucy?" Anya questioned raising an eyebrow.

"She's working with Coulson," Bruce added quickly.

"Ah, that's nice. I have to go debrief. I just want to stop by and see you first," Anya said turning back to her father.

"I appreciate it. I'll see you for dinner, right?" Bruce replied.

"Of course," Anya smiled and turned to leave. She gave Lucy a small nod of acknowledgement before exiting.

"Your daughter is beautiful," Lucy said after a while.

"Thank you. She's actually my adopted daughter. She's Russian," Bruce replied smiling softly to his self.

"That's awesome. Is she an Avenger?" Lucy asked.

"No, but she is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. She's been gone for a couple months so it was nice to see her safe." Bruce explained.

"Ah, that's good," Lucy replied softly. She rocked slightly back and forth on her stool. "Um, where's the bathroom?" she asked trying to break the awkward silence that had settled.

"Down the hall, second door on the right," Bruce replied.

Lucy nodded and hopped down off the stool. She quickly walked out of the lab and turned smack into something solid. She felt two strong hands on her shoulders, steadying her.

"I am sorry," the man apologized.

Lucy's eyes went wide. Despite having spent many years on Asgard, she had never come face to face with Thor.

"It's okay," Lucy squeaked before ducking around him and fleeing down the hall and into the bathroom.

She braced herself on the sink and closed her eyes. Her head was spinning. Meeting Bruce's daughter had caused a flare of jealousy in her chest; jealousy for the relationship between the father and daughter. Running into Thor had Loki's words nagging at the back of her mind urging her to stay away from the demigod like she had been taught. She shook her head; she was tired of hiding, of ducking into shadows to avoid people.

She quietly opened the door and peeked out finding the hallway clear. Slowly she walked back towards the lab keeping her hearing trained for the sound of Thor's voice.

She paused outside of the lab and listened.

"Who is the girl?" she heard Thor ask.

"She's working with Coulson," Bruce replied simply.

"She seems familiar. Has she been here before?" Thor asked.

"No, she hasn't. Coulson had meetings so she is just hanging out here till he's done," Bruce explained.

"Hmm," Thor mumbled.

"Don't think too much of it my friend; she's just a girl," Bruce assured.

"Nobody comes to the Tower, especially onto our personal floors. Forgive me for be curious," Thor replied.

"Like I said, she's just a girl," Bruce said.

Lucy figured it was safe to enter now. Thor nodded to her before taking his leave.

Once she was sure the god was out of ear shot, Lucy turned to Bruce.

"Why have you lied about why I'm here?" Lucy asked.

Bruce sighed deeply," There's no need to create a big uproar until we know more."

Lucy nodded in agreement.

The hours seemed to fly by after Thor's visit. Lucy watched Bruce work around the lab. Occasionally, she would glance over at the machine working on her blood sample.

She became so wrapped up in the scientist's work; she did not notice Phil had entered the lab.

"Are you ready to go?" Phil asked, startling Lucy.

"You're back," Lucy observed.

"Yeah, wrapped things up in time for dinner, so if you're ready to go," Phil replied.

Lucy nodded and slid off the stool to join Phil.

"Thank you, Bruce," Phil said.

"No problem, she was no bother," Bruce said smiling.

Phil and Lucy left and headed back to the apartment.

While Phil began to cook, Lucy sat at the breakfast bar just observing. She spotted a photograph half cover by a stack of papers. While Phil's back was turned, she quickly pulled the photo free and set it down in front of her.

In the photo were three people; a man, a woman, and Phil. The three appeared to be at some part based on the background decorations. The man had dirty blonde hair and strong features. His smile, however, softened his toughness. She frowned slightly at the similarity between his stormy grey eyes and her own. The woman was very beautiful. She had bright red hair and piercing green eyes that complemented her ivory skin. Phil stood in between the two, an arm around their shoulders pulling the two closer. They looked so happy.

Her concentration was broken when Phil set down a plate of spaghetti in front of her.

Lucy looked up at him and sheepishly handed him the photo.

"Sorry," she apologized looking back down at the plate.

"It's okay," Phil replied. He chuckled and rubbed his chin. "Wow, that's an old photo. Not a lot of grey hair back then," he said.

"Who are they?" Lucy asked twirling her fork in the pasta.

Phil leaned against the counter and sighed, "This is Clint and Natasha, supposedly your parents."

Lucy set her fork down and took a deep breath, "Tell me about them."

"Not right now, after dinner," Phil replied setting the photo down and picking up his own plate.

The two ate in silence. Once the plates were cleared, Lucy slipped into the bedroom to change into more comfortable clothes for the evening. She rummaged through the duffel bag and found a pair of blue flannel pajama pants and a white tank top. Once dressed, she pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail then went back out to the living room.

Phil was sitting in the armchair holding a mug. Another identical mug sat on the coffee table.

Lucy sat down on the couch and folded her legs under herself.

"I made you some tea," Phil said gesturing to the mug.

Lucy smiled and picked the mug up smelling its contents. She cautiously took a sip and grimaced.

"It's kind of bitter," she said swallowing her mouthful.

Phil chuckled, "I brought sugar." He handed her a couple of sugar packets.

Lucy gratefully dumped the sugar into her mug and stirred it with the spoon Phil also provided. She tested the tea again and nodded, "Better."

"Clint hates this tea, unless he had tons of sugar; has sort of a sweet tooth," Phil said.

Lucy took another sip and set the mug down.

"Tell me more," she said adjusting her legs.

"There's a lot to tell. Where do you want to begin?" Phil asked.

"When did you meet them?" she asked.

"I met Clint first. I actually recruited him for S.H.I.E.L.D. He was actually a little younger than you; 17 years old and a perfect marksman. He was just going down the wrong path and I gave him an out," Phil started.

He watched Lucy shift. Her eyes flickered with excitement. This was probably the first time she had ever heard anything about her parents.

"I met Natasha after a mission. You have to understand that Clint and Natasha's relationship is quite unique. Clint was sent to kill Natasha, obviously, he made another call. I still don't know what stopped him. He brought her back, raised hell with Director Fury, and got her into training. Maybe a year later, they became partners." Phil continued.

"They've been together for a long time," Lucy pointed out.

"Pretty much; they are S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top team," Phil said.

"Will I get to meet them?" Lucy asked softly.

"In time, yes," Phil replied.

"You want to make sure I'm really their daughter," Lucy said.

"Yes, understood that if we told them and you weren't their daughter it would be extremely painful," Phil explained.

"What happens if I'm not?" Lucy mumbled.

"That's up to you. You can stay or you can leave. I can most certainly offer you a position at S.H.I.E.L.D.," he replied.

Lucy smiled at Phil. She didn't understand why this man was so kind to her, but at the same time she didn't really care.

"Thank you, Phil," she said.

"Go get some rest. You look exhausted." Phil said nodding towards the bedroom.

"Sounds like a plan," Lucy yawned and stood up. She stretched and bent to pick up her mug.

"Go, I'll get it," Phil added with a warm smile.

Lucy nodded and shuffled into the room, closing the door behind her. Phil sighed and picked up Lucy's mug, carrying it to the kitchen. As he set the mugs down in the sink his cellphone began to vibrate in his pocket.

He quickly flipped it open and answered, "Coulson."

"Phil," came Bruce's voice. He sounded tired and a bit worried.

"Bruce, what's up?" Phil asked. He heard Bruce take a deep breath.

"It's her, Phil. The girl is Lucy."


A/n: the reunion is very close my friends! Tell me what you thought!