Chapter 21

It was so good to be coming home. Raven missed being in Stark Tower, she missed her room, her bed, Timber, she missed her painted wall, she missed the view of the city, the sound of Tony's rock music, Pepper's clicking heels when she came home. She missed everything that made home home. The hospital was okay but she missed moving around as she pleased, she missed the space, the leathery couch, all her snacks and box juices. She couldn't wait to go home.

"Hey where are we?" She asked Tony when the car pulled up to somewhere that wasn't Stark Tower. "It's a museum," she said once seeing a sign. "Why are we here?"

Tony tried his hardest not to ruin the surprise. "Oh, I just thought we'd have a little fun before we go home." Raven looked at him wide-eyed and curious. "What? I thought you liked museums?"

"I thought the doctor said I'm not supposed to be overexcited about stuff?" She responded.

"Bah!" He waved it off. "A little surprise won't surprise." Happy opened the door for them. "C'mon."

Without thinking he scooped her up, carrying her to the entrance with such ease and naturalism, onlookers that recognized him had to look twice. Tony Stark casually dashing with a scrawny kid in dull cotton pants and top, hanging on to him, ankles locked and fingers clasped like a baby monkey. They were perfectly together like yin and yang.

"It's an art museum," Raven realized in awe.

"The Museum of Modern Art," he announced proudly. "Only found in New York," he added. "Well aren't you lucky?" Her gaping gaze made him laugh. "So where do you want to start?"

She turned her head, looking left and right. "That way!" She pointed randomly.

He never knew how much Raven loved art until he saw her face. With every notable art piece she gasped, 'aahed' and 'oohhed', eyes lighting up while her face bloomed. He envisioned contained awe and shy admiration, instead she bubbled over with glee, squealing at every art piece she recognized and knew and she knew so much. The same way he had built his first motherboard, his first motor, his first robot, how he knew every little gear and bolt she knew art. She was inspired by the most basic things that existed long before metal became his trade. They weren't just materials to her, they were bits and pieces begging to be made into something to be captured and treasured.

Although she had given his a specific direction to go to he had a destination already made out for them. Tony set her down and waited for her to see it, he waited for her to see what he had no idea even resided there. He waited anxiously as she looked at all the various paintings still not believing where she was, how she spun and drank each one of them in. Abruptly she paused and like she had opened a present he analyzed her face down to the breath that sucked her cheeks. She had seen it and the world had became quiet. Her face was unreadable and her eyes trance-like, Tony swore that she would faint, she didn't make a single sound, she just stared. Had she actually gone into shock? For a second Tony wondered if he should have brought her so soon after being medically cleared. Raven then walked up to Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night silent as a phantom in march-like strides.

Tony was never one for art but he had to admit, it was one cool painting, all the shades of blue, the glowing balls of yellow, the shining moon and reflecting water. Any kid would fall in love with it. Yet when he looked Raven he didn't feel the simple childish adoration for the beauty, as always it was deeper than that, much deeper.

"It's even more beautiful in person," she murmured. She held his hand when he came beside her. "Nobody liked Van Gogh when he was alive," she told him, "they said he was crazy."

"Oh yeah?" He knew that much but went along with it.

"He drew what he saw," she continued solemnly. "When he was alive people drew the exact same thing they saw but Van Gogh didn't." Her voice became more lifted. "He said that nighttime was prettier than daytime. This was how he saw the sky," all the avid admiration came through her voice. "He didn't see black and white, he saw, this," she gestured to the painting like it was ultimate truth to the world. "Blues and yellows. Isn't it wonderful Tony?"

Tony refused to write off the emotion in her voice, the purest indescribable feeling he ever heard.

"Yeah princess, it's wonderful." He pulled her closer.

He really got it now, he actually was getting the gist of his daughter's madness. She didn't admire the torture of others, and tried to connect with them on levels of pain she loved the beauty they saw and admired their strength. She wanted to make something beautiful that would last forever like Van Gogh's Starry Night. She didn't want to change the world, she wanted to show it what it was missing, what was standing right in front of it.

"One day," Raven said, "I'm going to make something. Make something beautiful and wonderful, that will make everyone feel happy on the inside." She gazed up at him, eyes bursting with promise.

Tony smiled rubbing her head kneeling down just so he could savor that twinkle in her eye. The determination unmarred by grief, pain and loss, wanting to give the world something more, for everyone without demanding anything back.

"I know you will," Tony held her shoulder. "I know it."

"You think so?"

"You'll do everything," he vowed. "Anything you put your mind to."

"And you'll be the first one to see it!" She declared. "And I'll dedicate to you and everything!"

"Would you?" He playful questioned.

"Of course I would," she retorted missing the joke. "You're my daddy, aren't you?"

There was no calming her down after the museum trip. She bounced and chattered with pausing breaths, he hardly understood everything but he smiled and nodded just the same to see the happiness in he face. Once they had finally reached their floor at Stark Tower he had almost forgotten his second surprise.

"Hold on," Tony wrapped his hand over her eyes. "I've got a surprise for you."

"A surprise! Another one? What kind of surprise?"

"Hold on!" She heard the elevator doors open and felt Timber hopping around her feet. "Down you," she heard Tony tell him.

"What kind of surprise?" She asked again. She had no idea what else he could surprise her with.

"If I tell you it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?" He countered helping her up the stairs to her room.

"So?"

She heard Pepper snigger behind her. Tony then stopped her and she heard a door open.

"Alright," he said, "open your eyes."

Raven gasped, her room had changed since she was gone. Before it had been ugly and plain only her paints to brighten it up but now it was purely color. Her walls were not one color, nor were they exactly colors, each wall was taken up by a painting, an entire painting. Van Gogh inspired paintings. Her version of the Van Gogh painting she did but they were different now, cleaned up and perfected. Her roof had little white blossoms on skinny branches against a powder blue background. The wall in front her bed had a wheat pasture with black birds flying into the horizon, opposite was a huge portrait of sunflowers in a pot. The wall by her bookshelf was the Starry Night, but the night crept along the remaining walls.

In her bathroom was Claude Monet's water lilies. It had been painted over in sky blue with flutters of lilies and fallen leaves all along the walls. Even the shower had been redone. The boring white glass was now blue green and the tiles were flowered, similarly to the walls. It was like she was bathing in a pond. She touched the wall and realized that they hadn't been painting in her paint but the kind you painted a house in. It meant that the painting would never fade, or chip. It would stay forever.

"What do you think?" Tony came beside her. "I thought I'd give your room a little makeover." He held her head, "You liked Van Gogh and people like that so much, I thought I'd use your paintings to make a little medley."

Raven couldn't believe her eyes, "It's so beautiful."

He smiled proudly at his work. "A perfect room for an artist." He then nudged her, "Did you see the new desk?"

Raven's mouth fell open, "It's a drawing desk," she sat at the desk. "All my colors are here, my paint and brushes." Her little hands spread along the wide sloping desk. "I love it."

"Really?" He asked unnecessarily.

She sprang from her desk and hugged, "It's perfect!" She ran to Pepper and hugged her too, "I love it! I love it!"

Pepper smiled, "We made it special just for you sweetie."

"It's perfect," she spun on her toes. "It's beautiful!"

It took forever to get Raven out her room, she refused to leave it for hours. She spent hours drawing at her desk and staring at the paintings while listening to music. Tony knew she hated the plain room he had given her. The fact she painted it was testament to that and now he knew what she liked he called up so interior designers and artists pitched the idea and let them go nuts. Pepper had suggested the Van Gogh theme but he decided on having different murals from different artists on each wall. Best risk he ever made, but she did design her room that way previously. He was just glad she loved it, insane as it looked.

"Well look who decided to leave her cave," he announced dragging the girl downstairs.

Raven giggled as he hefted her into his arms, "I was going to come out!"

"Lies!"

Pepper watched as Tony and Raven prattled back and forth. Tony was glowing more than she ever saw him, she had never seen him happier. Genuinely happy. His world was revolving around Raven and you saw it in his eyes, the way he held her, talked to her. His life had suddenly become more than his technology, more than Iron Man, he had Raven. Raven was more than the next phase of Stark Industries, than a ploy to keep his legacy going, she was a whole new chapter in his life. Raven was destined to make her own legacy, she wasn't going to be another era in Howard's dream, she was going to be making herself a name. And Tony was going to be a part of it, and it was going to make him want to take better care of himself. Something to look forward to and live for. Maybe even make him take better care of himself from now on.

His father's empire had never gave him anything but an empty fortune, a dirty ledger. Iron Man helped him redeem himself but Raven made him happy. She gave Tony Stark reason and purpose beyond Iron Man and the Avengers. Not even Pepper could give him that.

"Dinner you two!" She called.

Pepper watched as her two most beloved people in the world sat down at the table. For tonight everything was right in the world.

Raven snuggled with Timber in her bed, she couldn't run around much since she still had to get check-ups to make sure her heart was okay. Timber seemed to understand and never left her side, Happy came by to take him to the park, Tony's orders, but it was still good to be home. Tony got her plenty of new Legos to play with, so she wouldn't run around so much and books. She didn't have to leave the tower to go to the doctor's, they came to her. She never had to leave the tower.

Ever.

She was glad to be home but she thought that now she could run around as she wanted but it was the opposite. She was supposed to lie down and the visit the doctor nearly everyday. Raven thought she was done with all that but it yet begun. She wanted to go back to that museum and stare at Van Gogh's painting, she wanted to see all those exhibits that she hadn't seen. Those bizarre things she had no idea about, all those new things waiting for her to find them. It made her restless and grumpy, though being home did make it better. Just a little bit.

A chill suddenly hit the room.

"Trouble sleeping?" A melodious voice sounded.

"Loki?" She sat up and strangely Timber did not stir. "What are you doing here?"

Loki was dressed in his usual lavish leather and green, gold plated Asgardian suit. He strutted across her floor and sat on the edge of the bed smiling like a Cheshire Cat.

"I came to visit," he watched as she yawned lying back down on her back. "I heard you were out of the hospital."

"I feel like I'm still in the hospital," she complained. "I can't do anything, I can't go outside, I can't play like I want to. It's so boring."

"Poor dear," he reached out and stroked her cheek, "locked up like a princess in a tower."

"Worse than that."

Loki laughed lightly at her angry pout and as she huffed irritatedly. Cooped up was getting to her, she wanted to run about like any child but her condition dictated that she rest, although if he had heard the doctor correctly, they were precautionary actions. She was healthy thanks to him but they wanted to surveillance her just in case, since she nearly had complications before. They had no idea that his simple magic had made her body more inclined to accept the transplanted heart. If he were more cruel he would have made them beg him to save her, but there was no glory in torturing a child.

"Raven, do you still have the stone I gave you?"

"Yes."

"Can you get it for me?"

Loki was surprised that she kept the stone so close, in the cupboard beside her bed. He felt more impressed at how she hid it. She pulled out a box, opened it and pulled out a tiny rusty box, in there was the gem. Disguised among a child's worthless treasures. She handed it out to him and he graced her with a smile.

"Good girl." He beckoned her and took her into his lap. "Do you want to see sometime beautiful?"

All sleepiness left her and she nodded. He snaked his arms around her tiny waist and held the little stone in his hand. He held it out and the stone rose glowing and with a burst of light her room vanished and she saw not only the Nine Realms suspended around her but the smaller worlds that hid in between the grooves.

"You see this?" He whispered in her ear. "This is all the realms in the entire universe, that I know of at least." He gestured to the miniaturized cosmos. "Shall I explain it to you as it was to me?"

"It's so pretty," her eyes searched the display in confusion, "but where are the planets?"

He chuckled, "The Nine Realms here," he pointed them out. "Asgard, Vanaheim, Jotunheim, Niflheim, Helheim, Muspelheim, Aflheim, Svartalheim and here," he pointed, "is your beloved Midgard. As you call Earth."

"So they're not planets but worlds?"

"That's right. In Asgard we are taught that the Nine Realms are connected to each other by the roots of the tree Yggdrasil. But," he pointed to a damaged line, "this is the Bifrost the bridge between Asgard and Midgard." Seeing her awed and absorbing look he continued, "Do you know what color it is?"

"Uhhh, white?" She guessed.

"It is the colors of the rainbow. And it is guarded by a god named Heimdall."

"Are there lots of other gods?"

"And goddesses," he nodded to her approval.

"Wow." She ran her eyes over the projective life colored map. "They don't teach us this in science class."

"Not many Midgardians know this."

"Really?" She stared at the map. "This is very important stuff then?"

He shrugged with a smile. "It all depends on what you're going to get yourself into."

"So Heimdall lets people go from world to world?"

"If you're heading to Asgard or leaving it, yes. But," he added smugly, "Heimdall only knows the Nine Realms and there is more than one way to travel."

Hearing the expression before she shrugged off any shady implication. "And these spots here?" She pointed the the pastel dots above the grand arrangement of worlds, far far above them.

"Those are moons," he explained. "Tiny little plains, not much compared to the grandeur of the Nine but they do have inhabitants and are perfect places to hide from the whole universe."

"Have you been to one?"

"Yes, I have."

"Are they nice?"

Loki chose his words carefully. "Some are barren. Others have life that aren't quite friendly, especially to those weaker than themselves. They however do have a view you Midgardians may appreciate."

"Are they cold? They say in space it's cold."

"It can be but we don't feel cold as much as you would."

Raven accepted this answer and stared again at the entire universe in her room, "The world's really much bigger than normal people think it is, isn't it?"

Loki rested his chin on her shoulder, "Yes it is."

"Are all the Realms pretty?" She asked.

"Some are. I wouldn't recommend going to Jotunheim, Niflheim or Helheim. They're quite dangerous Realms." He leaned back causing her to tilted back. "Would you like to see some of the other ones?"

Raven's eyes grew wide, "Can I? Like for real, in person?" After today she wanted to see everything and anything she could in person.

Loki laughed, "Of course you can." He leaned as if to tell her a secret. "How about one day when your father is away, you and I can go a trip. Just you and me."

"Really? But," her face dimmed in uncertainty, "what about my heart? Tony says I'm supposed to be careful about..."

He looked at her in mock hurt, "You doubt my magic? Raven, you wound me."

She laughed at his dramatic flare, "I don't." She became serious, "But you'll let him know we're going on a trip, won't you?"

"Why would I lie?"

"You're the god of Mischief," she declared with a smile. "Lying is mischief. But you're still cool."

He smiled sincerely. "Is that right?"

The map vanished and the rock fell into his hand. Loki gave her the tiny rock to hold, completely absorbed with the rock and it compacted universe map she had hardly noticed that Loki was conjuring up something. With a wave of his hands something big and blue appeared in his hands, the shine was bright like a flashlight beam when it was held to your eyes. Raven gasped terrified at the sudden beam of light inches from her. Loki didn't say word but held it steadily as the glow dimmed, his composed disposition made her fear shrink though only in a fraction for instinct told her to brace herself although she wasn't afraid of Loki.

The thing he held became visible, it was a cube, roughly bigger than the Rubik's cube Bruce had bought her when she was the hospital. That wasn't so bad but it's glow was what made her wary, it was swirling blues and whites shimmering like a psychedelic snow globe with the pace of a kaleidoscope. He brought it close for her to see and something made her recoil, cowering from every contradiction it was in her childish logic.

"It won't hurt you," he murmured seductively. "Do you want to hold it?"

Without answering he took a hand running his fingertips along it and setting the cube in her hand, it felt hot but it didn't burn despite how her finger pressed on it's sides to hold it. It wasn't so scary now, not the it-can-hurt-me scary anyways, it was now something extremely fragile giving her if-I-break-I'm-in-big-trouble fear instead. Which was equally bad. Loki rubbed her other hand and beckoned her to hold it with both hands. She placed the tiny stone on her bed so she could hold the tesseract properly.

"Wow," she exhaled. "What is it?"

"Unlimited power," he cooed. "You have all the power in the universe in your hands."

"It's hot and cold," she said starring into the blue abyss The heat simmered once her held it with both hands. "It's pretty too." Her voice was distant. "Is it okay I hold this if it's so important?"

"Oh, I trust you," he gave her a reassuring smile. "Now where's that pendant I gave you?"

After she went and fetched it from the drawer where she kept her pencil case she returned to his lap. He held up the pendant and offered the cube, to her astonishment the pendant popped open like a locket and the cube vanished inside like dust into a vacuum. The amber stone was now lined with the color of the cube. It made her think of an eye, the amber was the diluted pupil and the tesseract blue was the iris.

Raven expected Loki to keep the pendant. Since it seemed she had been just letting her hold on to the pieces while he had gathered the rest she had just saw. It was after all something very very dangerous and powerful. Tony got nervous when she picked up a power tool or a big knife. Why did Loki trust her so much?

"Here," he put it in her hand, "a present."

"But you just said-"

"Oh don't fret. It's safe and sound in there," he tapped the amber stone. "I just need you to keep that cube for me?" He wrapped his fingers around her arm, "Tell no one you have it and hold on to it for me. The pendant is yours, and only you and I can open it." Again that don't-you-fret-smile came, "I trust you completely with this."

"But if it's so powerful then why should I have it?" She asked suspiciously. "I'm only seven and Tony doesn't even let me cut my own tomato slices."

"Because I know a fool Raven," his voice was deadly serious, "and I seldom make mistakes of this magnitude."

"I can't set it off, can I? Like a bomb?"

"No," he held her comfortingly, "only someone as wise as me or someone from Asgard can activate this."

"So it's in sleep mode now?"

"Exactly. It can cause no harm in it's current state."

She relaxed. "As long as it won't hurt anyone, I guess it's okay." Her face twisted with doubt

He smirked, "You don't believe me."

"Something smells fishy," she admitted, "and you are very very tricky. I can tell."

Loki turned so she would look him in the eyes. "Raven, I know you are wise, much more than you are given credit for. I swear to you, on my word, as Loki of Asgard, that no harm shall come to you with this," he pointed to the glowing pendant, "in your possession." The next words he spoke were the sincerest thing he said said since Thor was to be crowned king. "Raven you are the only person in all the world I would never let harm befall, and that I trust with this much power."

"Really?" She was taken back as was he from his own words.

"Anyone else on Midgard or the Nine and the lost moons would tamper with this out of greed. You, would never tap into this power without just cause."

"Why?" She asked. How could he be so sure?

Loki's tone became grim and judging. "Why would a child who has been hurt so many times want to hurt others? Especially when those she would are long dead?" His touch felt like an animal's pet. "You would only hurt those who hurt you, and there is no blame in that."

A light came on at his layered tone and debating stare that went beyond her face. "Did someone hurt you Loki?" In a switch he came back and his glare was hostile but it vanished before her heart could even stammer at it. "I'll keep it safe," she touched the pendant. Her question felt answered and her fears cured. "I promise." She crossed her chest, "Cross my heart."

The intrusion forgotten and tucked away he kissed her head, "That's my girl."

Raven said nothing but leaned on to Loki's chest ignoring the chill of his clothes. She faintly could hear his heart beneath his armor and felt peace when he didn't put her back to bed right away. Peace when a single hand spanned her back. Just like that Loki's oddities didn't seem so foreboding anymore.