Revelations
Lexi pushed herself farther up to get into a better sitting position as Tony entered the room, but her eyes never dared to wander from his own. He stared at her for a moment and in that millisecond she saw the briefest flicker of alarm and surprise. She didn't think Tony Stark was a man that got tongue tied often, if ever, but he was right now as he stared at her back.
His dark eyes moved to her wings that were out in full span for whomever to see when they walked in. That someone just so happened to be Tony. He was clad in a reddish colored jacket that zipped up in the front and beneath it looked to be a dark gray shirt, but she couldn't tell exactly since it was zipped up almost to the top. He wore a pair of dark pants that looked almost like blue, but were so dark they were almost black.
He smirked a very Tony like smirk, "You know, it's the funniest thing…" he started to talk and placed his hands behind his back while pacing the length of the room, getting closer to her bed and then turning deftly on his heel to start over again with his pace.
"Not too long ago I saw a woman right outside the walls of the Avengers tower with wings like yours. Come to think of it..she was a dead ringer for you."
His eyes snapped up to hers as he came to an abrupt halt at her bedside. He took in the cuts and bruises on her face that were already healing, "You always put yourself head first into danger like that?" His tone was not patronizing, but a little exasperated. Granted she had put herself between a purple beam and Iron Man..it was a little foolish, but Lexi acted on instinct to save him.
Not the first time.
Lexi bit her bottom lip and looked down, like a child that had gotten caught with their hands in the cookie jar. He seemed as confused as everyone else in the Avengers Tower and being confused wasn't something these guys liked to be.
She snuck a glance back up at Tony and offered a small guilty smile, "It was me. And by running head first into danger you mean saving your life? "
It also wasn't the first time we met.
He looked down at his hands briefly and there was an audible sigh he let out in relief. The muscles that had been coiled around his shoulders moments ago seemed to loosen with her revelation. He smirked at her last comment, "I had it under control, trust me." She rolled her eyes lightly at his stubbornness.
"You're not crazy, Tony. You did see me that night." She murmured quietly, offering him a quick smile. "Who ever said I was crazy?" Tony quipped back and she smirked before replying, "You don't read the papers do you?"
Tony waved his hand as if that was preposterous, "Of course not. I'm a billionaire genius, when do I have time to read the paper?" She cocked her head to the side and raised her brow incredulously at him. She didn't believe for one second that Tony Stark didn't look at the papers from time to time.
He's very prideful.
Lexi licked her bottom lip, biting it for a brief second as she collected her thoughts, but when she was about to speak again she saw Tony looking at her, trying to figure her out as he tilted his head to the side cockily, "Who are you exactly? And why are you following me?"
She barked out a laugh and he reared his head back, clearly taken aback that she was laughing, "Uhm, am I missing something here?" He asked not understanding why she was laughing.
Lexi put the back of her hand against her mouth and smirked, "You are very full of yourself Tony to think that I'm following you." He chewed on this sentiment before arching a brow, "It wouldn't be the first time I had a crazy stalker."
"I don't doubt it." Her eyes met his and she smiled sheepishly, "For starters, I'm sorry for dropping in the other night unannounced."
Tony raised a brow, "As you should be. Make a man go crazy.." He muttered more to himself than her and she laughed lightly, a hue or red ringing her cheeks as she admitted, "I doubt that." It was more towards his comment about making a man go crazy, but he must have heard her because he eyed her wearily, "I don't."
She felt the warmth spread from her cheeks and down to her neck. The awkward moment of silence in the room growing more deafening as the seconds past before she cleared her throat and continued, "I'm Lexi, Lexi Monroe."
She held out her hand quickly and locked eyes with him expectantly before watching with a relieved feeling as he crossed the distance that he had put between himself and her bed and reached over to shake her hand, "Tony Stark."
His hand was warm, rough and calloused from all the tinkering he did and she couldn't help but glance down at his left hand and see the bare ring finger. He noticed her eyes flicker down and he pulled his hand away as she did before smirking, "I like to keep my playboy status."
"I bet you do." She murmured with a hint of a smile before biting her lower lip in quiet thought.
"Look.." Lexi started to explain, she had every intention of explaining who she was, what she was and how she knew what exactly those demonic beings were. That was until the door flew open and in walked a dark skinned man with an eye patch and a tall, broad shouldered man with a shirt that was a size too small for his large biceps whom she immediately recognized as Steve Rogers.
"What the heck Stark?"
"What in fucks sake is going on here?"
Both voices yelled out as two SHIELD agents came close behind the men with their guns drawn. Lexi's eyes widened and she looked from Tony to the two men to the SHIELD agents with their guns and instinctively she flourished her wings in a way that made them appear bigger. She leaned up farther now, her hands bracing the railing of the bed as if she were going to fly over it at any moment.
Guns on her didn't sit well and guns on Tony stirred something else entirely in her belly that was akin to fierce protection. "Put the guns away, now!" Lexi's voice was calm, but eerily demanding and Tony's eyes widened while his brows shot up. He stood carelessly, not even tensing at the sight of guns being brandished.
"I certainly wouldn't mess with this one, Fury." Tony deadpanned and smirked widely as Fury gave a look of resigned anger, "Put your guns away." When the SHIELD agents complied Steve walked right up to Tony, "Just couldn't help yourself, huh?"
Tony flashed a smile and turned towards Lexi so that she could see them both from the angle they were speaking to one another. She could sense the tension between the two hot headed men and parted her lips to speak, but before she could get anything out Tony interjected, "Oh, you know I've never been a follow orders kind of guy."
Steve rolled his eyes and Fury stepped forward, "I wanna know what's going on here and fast. I said no one was to come in here and brief her, but me. Now, pray tell Tony, why you are going to such lengths to be a pain in my ass today?"
Tony caught Fury's angered gaze and Lexi felt as if she weren't even in the room, which was funny in itself since she was the one with the large white wings.
"I was just walking by and the door so happen to be open..." Tony quipped with a snarky expression while Steve crossed his arms, "Tony, cut the crap." Tony put his hand over his chest, "Ouch, language Cap!" Steve made a movement, but Fury held his hands out to the two men.
"He knows something, Fury! He's been acting weird about this whole situation. The way I see it you're the only one in the group that's acting suspicious. And this proves it."
Tony looked as if he was slapped in the face and he stepped up to Steve so their faces mere inches away from one another. Tony's jaw clenched and the playful ire Lexi had seen moments ago was completely gone, "You like to point fingers a lot, Rogers. You know that? For such a high and mighty tool you really-"
"Oh, please. This has nothing to do with me. You just love to change the subject, don't you?"
Lexi opened her mouth to speak, but her voice fell on deaf ears. Except for Fury. He glanced her way and she gave him an incredulous look and he returned her gaze with one that said volumes without speaking. She could tell he was exasperated, but the two men before her were so lost in their argument they hadn't even noticed Lexi's face changing from annoyance to anger.
No one had even asked for her opinion. No one had even tried to ask her what was happening. Two petulant men fighting like boys. She didn't even know them that well, but she could see the unresolved tension rolling off of them in waves. The two SHIELD agents had already crept out and disappeared under Fury's signal, which had been lost to the guys since they weren't even paying attention.
"Make this easier on everyone and just admit that you know something about-"
Lexi exploded in anger, "Oh, stop it! Stop it you two!" The two men turned around as if they realized she had still been in the room and her eyes glinted with an ire that had them stopping in their tracks from saying another word. Fury turned and she saw he almost looked relieved for the outburst.
"I pulled Tony from the wormhole at the battle of New York. He doesn't know me anymore than I know him. I caught a glimpse of him recently while I was flying..it was my fault. I came too close to the tower and he saw me."
Lexi had been moving her eyes from Tony, to Steve to the man with the eye patch as she spoke, never once letting her eyes linger too long on Tony's, but at the end she let her gaze rest on Tony's astonished one and she shrugged sheepishly, "I just-I guess I wanted to make sure you were okay."
There was a blush creeping on her cheeks and whether it was from the anger that had flushed her, or being on the spot with the truth she didn't know. As she looked up into the depths of Tony's eyes she saw amazement, wonder, shock and a mild look of disbelief. She saw the way his demeanor at the mention of the battle of New York and especially when she mentioned the wormhole.
Despite his cocky exterior, she could see the pain flash in his eyes before anyone in the room could register it. He hid it quite well.
"You did this for a total stranger?" Steve asked incredulously, his brows knitted together and wave of respect forming from his demeanor. He shifted away from Tony and took a step towards and Lexi as she shrugged lightly, "It felt like the right thing to do...righteous Angel and all." She smiled wryly and flicked her wings for emphasis.
"Wait-back up, I'm sorry am I missing something? You claim you pulled me from the wormhole, but no one saw you that day." Tony interjected. He wasn't necessarily unconvinced, but he was trying to use logic and reason to rationalize something so bizarre.
"You're an Angel?" Steve asked right after Tony's question and Lexi looked between the two men, clearly feeling overwhelmed and Fury stepped forward, "From here on out, I'm asking all the questions. She'll be briefed by me. If you two can't keep your mouths shut then I suggest you walk out right now."
Tony and Steve shifted uncomfortably and she saw Tony's jaw twitch in irritation before he promptly walked across the room and leaned against the wall while Steve walked to an adjacent wall. Fury pulled up a chair and cocked his head to the side, "Name's Nick Fury. Director of SHIELD. Heard of me?" Lexi shook her head no and Fury shrugged, "No matter. Let's get on with it."
He saw her shift uncomfortably and he asked testily, "Is now not a good time?" Lexi shook her head, "No, no-I mean, it's fine. Let's get it over with." Fury nodded and started his barrage of questions.
They ranged from her name to where she was from and then came the big one, "What are you, Ms. Monroe?" Steve and Tony looked up at her on this question, their gazes burning her with their intensity. "I'm a Halfling. I'm half Angel and half human. I'm no mutant or crazy science experiment gone wrong. I'm an Angel. We exist. As do demons."
Fury looked slightly unconvinced, but he couldn't deny the large spread of white wings flowing behind her, "Alright, Ms. Monroe. For shits and giggles, you're half Angel. As you can tell I'm a straight to the point kind of guy..what do you know about the demonic creatures my team fought the other day? How are you involved in all this?"
Lexi felt a cold chill run over body and she glanced up at Tony for a moment, recalling the moment she placed herself between the demonic entity and Tony. "I know about as much as you do, honestly." Fury gave her a look and she relented "I've been having dreams lately. At first I didn't think they were anything in particular, but then I realized I was seeing things before they were happening. I could see the people in the robes; I could feel the darkness as if it were a physical thing."
They all stared at her as she clenched her eyes closed, as if she remembered the pain she felt from the dreams. And she did. When she opened them Fury was staring at her with a half concerned look and she swallowed thickly.
"They got more intense until finally I was able to see something in my dream. I did some research and found out where I needed to investigate and that led me to being there at the same time that day. It was purely coincidence."
"Or fate."
Steve's lithe voice made her snap to him and despite Fury's orders to remain quiet she found his words ironic. And a part of his words hit her soul..fate. It was a funny thing, but was this truly one of those moments?
"Or fate." She repeated in agreement while Tony stared at her with unreadable eyes. Something about her seemed to have shaken Tony and she didn't know if it was her or maybe the talk about the battle of New York that had him a little cagey.
Fury leaned close and eyed her wearily with his only good eye. She briefly wondered where he had gotten such an innury and how, "Can you give me anything on what is going on here? Anything at all? Because right now I got three people at large that reportedly sprouted black wings. You see how this looks?"
Lexi chewed on her lip again, a nervous habit she had gotten from her mom, before looking at Fury with a tinge of fear in her own eyes, "They call him Abbadon."
The room was so silent you could hear a sewing needle drop. And she could tell that the mere mention of the name had everyone on edge.
"Forget what you've heard or read about Angels and Demons being folklore. It's all very, very real. I assure you. And you all just met one of the most dangerous demons to walk the Earth."
Tony groaned, "Perfect. This day just keeps getting better."
Fury mulled this over before countering, "Okay, so he's a demonic asshole. But, what does he want?"
Lexi shrugged, "Honestly, I have no idea. But, whatever those people in the robes did manifested them. They were given bodies to be hosts in. They are here and they are real. And it'll only take them a day or two to really come into all their dark powers." The room was thick with tension, but Lexi continued noting that her voice turned into somewhat of a plea, "I don't know why I've ended up here, but I do know I can help."
"She's got a point, Fury." Stark deadpanned and Fury whipped around to eye him sternly, "If I wanted your opinion I'd have asked for it." He turned to look back at Lexi, "And what about you? You say everything is real..why aren't you floating around with the other Angels? And better yet, why the hell aren't they down here taking care of the problem?"
This hit a nerve and she flushed a deep red from mild embarrassment, "I've told you I was a Halfling, but I haven't explained what that means. My mother was human and my father, Peter, he was an Angel. Unfortunately, Halflings don't serve any purpose to the Angels or the Council."
"You have a Council?" Fury asked curiously and this time his tone didn't sound unbelieving. She nodded silently before continuing, "Halflings aren't meant to be Guardians, go on missions or anything that a normal Angel would. Sadly, we have no purpose. We're kind of cast aside so long as we don't cause trouble. There aren't many Halflings..some have been known to go mad at not having a purpose. And I have no idea why the Angels aren't doing anything. They have been extremely quiet, no signs or anything from them."
She caught Steve's gaze; it was empathetic and sad for her plight and how she had no purpose. She shrugged lightly under everyone's scrutiny until Tony quipped, "So, basically you're the red headed step child of your kind?" A light, airy laugh left her lips and Fury didn't chastise Tony from speaking this time. "Basically, yes."
Tony made a pfft noise and shrugged, "Being normal is overrated anyways." She felt her lips upturn into a genuine smile at his attempts to make her situation not sound so profoundly sad. Fury continued, "Okay, back up now to the battle of New York. You seem to have been involved in quite a few things haven't you, Ms. Monroe? Still coincidence?" Lexi felt put on the spot and swallowed thickly under his scrutiny.
"I was minding my own business that day when all hell broke loose. I acted on instinct and before I knew it I was flying up, farther and farther..I saw him. I saw the red and gold shining so bright and I saw him floating closer and closer to the wormhole. I'd never flown so close to something like that and I didn't have my armor on." She stopped abruptly and realized how foolish it had been to attempt a feat like that without her lifesaving armor.
"I was able to grab him. I had him, but I lost my hold on him-I-I-blacked out.." Lexi could feel herself hyperventilating at the mere thought of what had happened..the panic and utter failure she felt. She briefly met Tony's eyes, but they were a mask of emotions and she couldn't put her finger on what he was thinking or feeling. His intensity held her captive for a second.
"And then I fell..I fell and woke up in a heap in some scaffolding from part of a building. I thought I was dead for a moment because I flew up without my armor on. I thought I needed that to protect me, but clearly I'm still alive even without my armor."
They all stared incredulously at her, but Fury stared with a mixture of realization at all that she had said. He could tell by her demeanor alone she wasn't lying, but that was something Fury had picked up on doing what he did for so long. The girl wasn't lying, if anything she had saved Tony Stark's life that day.
"You can heal easily, then." Fury noted while looking over her in a way that was no way uncomfortable, but merely curious. "Clearly." She noted shortly before adding, "I was taught I needed my armor, but I think my father just wanted that for extra protection. I was never told that my body was damn near unbreakable."
"You didn't know Tony before the New York incident though?" Steve asked and Lexi shook her head, "No, like I said, I just acted on instinct." Tony chewed on the inside of his cheek, mulling this over, "Well, excuse me for not having an input, but I don't remember much…seeing as I was almost floating into a wormhole."
Lexi gave him a look and Steve rolled his eyes, but even Steve could tell Tony was still reeling from his anxiety that the battle had given him. There was a moment of silence before Tony broke it, "I was right. You definitely jump into danger without thinking, don't you?"
"Remind you of anyone?" Steve interjected and Tony gave him an eye roll of his own knowing he couldn't say anything. Tony and her were alike in that sense…act now and ask questions later. Lexi couldn't help but smirk listening to the two and their playful banter. It was better than when they were angry at one another.
Fury sighed heavily and stood up from his seat, "Alright, you have any family here, Ms. Monroe?" Lexi started to shake her head yes, but decided against it. Her mother was family, but she was safe and sound in her nursing home. She wouldn't involve her.
"You have a place here in the city?" Fury asked, but for some reason she had a feeling he already knew certain things about her from pulling records. She nodded and Fury looked back to Steve and Tony, "I'll have you accompany her to gather her things." Lexi straightened up on the bed further and shoved her fists into the mattress to lift herself up, "My things?"
Fury started to walk away, but turned around quickly on his heels, "Yes, your things, Ms. Monroe." He paused and realized she hadn't caught up to where his mind was going, "The way I see it your know more about this than any of us here put together. We might just need your assistance, Ms. Monroe."
Lexi furrowed her brows, taking in everything he was saying and realizing it was all happening extremely fast, "But, why do I need to come here?" Her anxiety heightened briefly before seeing the calm and measured look Fury sent her.
"It'll be easier this way." His voice held a firm tone to it, but he quickly followed up after a moment, "I'd like to hear more about your family and your abilities, Ms. Monroe." She nodded silently as Fury started to walk out the door leaving her with Steve and Tony and their own looks of surprise equaled her own.
"What do you think?" Tony asked Steve as his eyebrow perked up in interest to hear what he might have to say. "I say she's all we got right now, like Fury said." Steve responded before looking over at Lexi and walking up to her, all the while holding out his hand, "Steve Rogers." She took his warm hand in her own and shook it, slightly in a daze from what had just transpired before murmuring her name quietly.
Tony flashed a small smile and held out his phone, "I'll have Happy pull a car around for us. I call shotgun!" He let his eyes linger on Lexi for a moment longer than they should have, "Welcome aboard, Ms. Monroe."
Tony then left out the door he had come in, and just as quickly too. However, from his gaze she had a feeling their conversation about everything was far from over.
"I'm sorry, for all of this." Lexi mumbled sheepishly before picking a stray thread from the blanket that covered her. Steve looked a little lost and he knitted his eyebrows together, "For what?" She shrugged and looked around, "My people's problems have now become Earth's problems."
Steve gave her a half amused smile and shook his head as if there wasn't anything any of them could really do about it. "Well, for what it's worth I'm glad the right side got to you first. I have a feeling we'll need your help." Lexi looked up to see Steve giving her a warm smile and she returned it happily.
"I'll send Natasha up to bring you a change of clothes." Steve started to walk towards the door and Lexi furrowed her brows, "The red haired woman?" He nodded to her question and then slipped out the door, leaving her to relax for a few moments by herself and collect her thoughts.
Maybe fate has something in store for me yet...
