Immediately, everyone's head turned toward me. I tried to keep a neutral expression, but my mouth was dry as I managed to get out, "Why is everyone looking at me? Maximoff is a minor, too, you know."

My snarky comment had no reaction. Tony was frozen, just looking at me with trepidation. His expression finally caused Friday's words to really set in, and it was like there was a block of my ice settled in my stomach. It was finally Pepper who answered Friday. "Send them to Mr. Stark's office on the business floors and tell them that he'll be down right away." She shook her head. "I should have had them make an appointment, but we need to be as accommodating as possible, given the circumstances…"

"What circumstances?" I asked desperately, wishing that I hadn't eaten so much. I knew that whatever the reason CPS was at Stark Tower, it wasn't good.

Tony finally managed to find his voice. He got up, walked over to me, and bent down so we were eye level, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Kiddo, it is really important that you're paying attention right now. Okay? First thing- don't freak out. We're not going to let them take you, but they are going to want to talk to you, and you need to know what to say." He took a deep breath. "We weren't going to tell you yet, until we knew more about the Red Room program that captured you. Holly, you were on HYDRA's radar for months before they kidnapped you; turns out, they came looking for you the day after you left Tempe. You've got hella good timing, kiddo. Their agents killed your stepfather- good riddance- and legally, at that moment, you became a ward of the state of Arizona. No one knew where you were, and it wasn't confirmed that you were my daughter... so even though they looked, they didn't look very hard. Now, they know who you are and where you come from, but even though I'm your biological father, I'm not officially your legal guardian yet."

My stepfather was dead? I struggled to push down any emotions I was feeling toward that subject as I felt my energy bubble under my skin. It wouldn't do to blow up the tower or something. Besides, I was still confused why it mattered to social services. "But legally- my stepfather and mother is dead, no grandparents, aunts, or uncles, and you're my dad, isn't that sort of a no-brainer for you to be my legal guardian? You want to be, right?" I asked. I couldn't help the insecurity that leaked into my voice at the end. Why would Tony want me, after all? He'd taken me in, given me an education past bookwork, gave me a family, and all I'd done so far was cause trouble and then disobey the Avengers.

Tony gave a short laugh that didn't meet his eyes. "Trust me Holls, I don't want anything more. But when you showed up at the hospital here in New York showing every sign of abuse from that goddamn Red Room and the battle and then almost died from a brain injury, they had to file that report. Not their fault- they can't know about the Red Room for security reasons, so you had old injuries with no explanation. And most importantly, you cracked your head open doing something that wouldn't have been able to happen if you weren't with me. The government is going to try to prove that I'm not able to keep you safe."

I was confused, my mind racing and spluttering out. "But you're a great Dad! I'll just tell them that. I_"

"Let's see what they want first," Tony cut me off. "But it's important for you to keep this in mind; if they interview you, and they probably will, legally I cannot be in the room; you'll have one of my lawyers. So, you need to watch your mouth. Okay? No being snarky at the dumb questions they'll ask, and no swearing."

I don't think I've ever seen him more serious. Now I was really worried. "Okay. Dad… could they take me today?"

He didn't answer, but the fear in his eyes told me what I needed to know. He kissed my forehead. "We'll fight for you, Holly." Tony straightened up, his mouth a straight line. "I'm going to go put on a suit and my lucky tie," he said grimly. Sounding more like himself, he quipped, "Save me the last cinnamon roll- don't even think about touching it, Odinson."

Tony and Pepper both left the room to dress presentably. Meanwhile, I bolted to the bathroom, feeling breakfast already creeping up my esophagus. I had just enough time to throw the door shut behind me before I fell to my knees and puked up what felt like everything I've eaten in my life. My head pounded, radiating from the spot Deadpool nailed me at. Oh, god. This wasn't good. If I hadn't made such stupid decisions, we wouldn't be in this mess.

A few minutes later, I was aware of someone holding back my hair. "Holly, you okay?" Natasha asked when I finally stopped heaving.

Great; I had puke on my sweatshirt. I groaned and didn't answer her, instead forcing myself to my feet. To buy myself time, I turned on the tap and rinsed my mouth out.

"Tell me what's going through your mind. Is if you're afraid that they'll try to take you? You know that if they try that, we'd fight them."

I didn't answer Natasha, just kept rinsing out my mouth. . I couldn't meet her eyes.

"Is it your stepfather?"

The knife in my gut twisted as she reminded me. How many people had my actions inadvertently killed?

When I straightened up, I caught sight of myself in the mirror for the first time in days.

I looked terrible. My face was varying shades of yellow and purple from the bruises, my hair, even though I had brushed it this morning, was a mess, and I had a wild, panicky look in my eyes. Not to mention the puke on my clothes. Nothing about my appearance would scream 'well taken care of child'.

I took a deep breath. Natasha was still watching me intently, I could see her worried expression in the mirror. I had to keep my emotions in check. I could feel the energy bubbling vehemently beneath my skin. Couldn't let my emotions get the better of me, not now.

"I'm fine, Nat." I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "But I need new clothes, make-up to cover up these bruises, and you to braid back my hair, if you don't mind doing it," I said steadily, trying to channel Tony's unfazed attitude. "Gotta look presentable, right? I'll ask Wanda if I can borrow something- she's bigger than me, it won't fit that great, but it's better than my clothes being too small or me going down there wearing shorts and a puked on sweatshirt."

Natasha nodded. "Just keep your cool. It'll be fine. I'll get you what you need, don't worry. Stay here- I'll be right back. Sit down and drink some water."

Ten minutes later, she was back. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Figured that the social workers would get involved now. In my mind, I had been in way more danger in Tempe than I ever have been since I arrived at Stark Tower.

Natasha came back in, her arms containing clothes and a makeup bag. "They're already asking for you, Holly, we've got to be quick." Her voice was level.

She had brought me a pair of jeans and a lime green hoodie. I scrambled into them, cuffing the jeans a few times. They were baggy and definitely not fashionable rolled up like that, but it was better than what I had. Thank God I had worn a belt with my shorts this morning, because Natasha hadn't grabbed one and there was no way Wanda's pants would have stayed on my skinny frame otherwise. I grabbed the concealer and Natasha started braiding. "Do you need me to do that?" She asked me.

I snorted. "This ain't my first rodeo, trying to hide bruises," I said, my voice cracking from the stress. Would they actually take me away from the Avengers? From Tony?

Natasha finished braiding, spun me around, and took the concealer from my shaking hands; so far, I was doing a completely botched job. "You know, I keep trying to pound it through your skull that you don't have to do it all by yourself anymore," she said quietly, dabbing it gently on my face. A half minute later, she was done.

I turned around and scrutinized myself in the mirror. I looked a lot better now. My face looked almost skeletal, but there was nothing I could do about it now. At least the bruises were concealed. Taking a deep breath, I told them, "Ready."

Natasha and I walked back out into the main area. The Avengers were still sitting around the table, not eating anymore, but sitting in awkward silence. Pepper was waiting for me by the elevator. "They wouldn't let me stay in the meeting with Tony," she said to me, her eyes flashing. "They sent me to go get you. We had already contacted our lawyer, but she won't be here in time, and legally, you don't have to have one. The Vision is going to be keeping an eye on things. Are you okay, sweetheart?"

I wasn't okay. Not nearly okay. I wanted to hide behind Thor. But I put on the Stark trademark confident expression and smirked. "Yeah." Everyone knew I was lying.

"Have no fear, young one," Thor boomed. "If it does not go in our favor, we will crush_"

"Just tell the truth, Holly," Steve interrupted him. "And watch your language."

"We'll beat 'em up if they_"

"You don't have to answer their question if it makes you uncomfortable," Bruce advised, interrupting Clint.

"Good luck," Wanda said quietly, giving me a small smile, which I tried to return.

"I am statistically putting the chances of your meeting going well at 85%, as long as you are polite to them," Vision said reassuringly. "And Mr. Stark told me to be on standby to go through the wall and fight if they try to physically attack you. Do not be worried."

Natasha gave me a side hug. "You can do this."

I nodded at them, not trusting myself to speak, but grateful for their support. I had a feeling if I did speak, then I'd beg them to let me stay here, to not make me go.

Pepper took me by the hand and tried to smile reassuringly at me, but I saw the stress in her eyes. "Let's go."

The elevator doors were sliding shut when I remembered. "Nova!" I exclaimed, trying to put my foot out to stop the door. It caught it in the nick of time. I sprinted to get the chip from the couch where I'd left her and then back into the elevator. "Now I'm ready," I said firmly, clutching the chip. Pepper squeezed by free hand, and the elevator doors swung shut.

I hadn't spent any time in the company floors of Stark Tower. When the elevator stopped, I wrenched my hand out of Pepper's, not wanting them to see me being treated like a little kid. Pepper moved her hand on my shoulder. I internally sighed, but said nothing. Secretly, I was glad for her reassuring presence, although this made me ashamed. I could sky dive off the helicarrier but not walk into a meeting alone?

Pepper led me into a lavish office; I knew it was hers, because her name was on the nameplate sitting on the mahogany desk, but there was a stern-looking, slightly overweight middle-aged woman sitting in the chair on Pepper's side of the desk.

So this was where Pepper was most of the day. Her office had a brilliant view of New York's skyline, just like the communal living room in the living floors of the tower. That set me slightly at ease.

"Thank you, Ms. Potts," the woman said. I detected a condescending tone from her and immediately, I bristled. This was the CEO of one of the most successful companies on the planet! Thinking quickly, I knew that I had a few options- being sassy (which Tony had instructed me not to do), being polite but distant (probably the best option if I wanted to make a good impression) or a clingy, annoying twelve year old to try and convince her that to get anything out of me, Pepper would have to be in the room (hardest to fake, but probably the best way to annoy them without being insubordinate).

I decided to be polite. For now. I kept my mouth shut.

Pepper squeezed my shoulder. "You gonna be okay, Holly?" she asked softly.

I nodded, looked down, and fiddled with Nova's chip. Pepper led me over to the chair and I sat down, but then she turned to leave instead of sitting in the chair next to mine. "You're leaving?" I blurted out before I could stop myself, my anxiety increasing by tenfold.

"She's the CEO of Stark Industries," the social worker said. "She has no business being in this meeting."

Except that I want her to stay. Except for the fact that she's been more like a mom to me in two months than my own mother managed to be in nearly twelve years. I squeezed Nova's chip so tightly it hurt, stood up, and threw my arms around Pepper, who hugged me back. But I didn't say anything as Pepper squeezed my shoulder again and walked out.

When it was just the social worker and I, the woman smiled at me. It looked like the action pained her. If this was someone that was supposed to set me at ease, than they did a really bad job of thinking this out. She hit a button on the black tape recorder that was sitting on the desk.

"Sit down, Holly." I thought about disobeying, insisting that I'd prefer standing, but I thought better of it and sat. "My name is Mrs. Russel. Do you know why I'm here?"

I shook my head, observing my shoes. I couldn't bring myself to look at her face. "Not exactly." My eyes flashed up to see her expression.

She clasped her hands together and leaned across the desk toward me. I leaned as far back in the chair as I could, away from her. "I am here because you were put in some situations that no child should ever be put into. We don't ever want you in that situation again. I want to learn your side of the events, so I'm going to ask you some questions."

I tried to look into her face as I addressed her. "Okay."

"You used to reside in Tempe, Arizona. Why did you leave and seek out Mr. Stark when you were legally in your stepfather's care?"

I clutched Nova so tightly that I felt like the chip was tearing into my palm. I didn't want to go through this. If not Tony or Pepper, then couldn't Natasha be here? I closed my eyes. Had to spit it out. Had to convince them of the truth; that despite the Red Room and getting hurt in the Ultron Offensive, impulsively running away from Tempe was the best decision I had ever made, and if I had stayed in Tempe, then I would have been way worse for wear, if not dead.

I looked past her, out the window. This lady didn't seem good with kids. She seemed to hate me. What if she was Hydra?"

"Ms. Stark? Holly? Answer the question," Ms. Russel snapped.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts, realizing that I had zoned out, that I hadn't answered her question.

"I'm going to count to three_" she threatened, looking extremely frustrated. "One_"

Who did she think she was? Counting to three? I was twelve, not five. Part of me was tempted to just sit quiet, but Tony had asked me to cooperate. "My stepfather, and my mother before she died, were sadists," I spat out. "I ran away because the abuse- which had been going on for years, by the way- was escalating, and I thought that eventually, my stepfather would kill me. The trigger- the reason why that I ended up leaving- is that… my stepfather, he tried to touch me. Sexually." I looked up and stared into her eyes, my expression as flat as I could make it. "I knew that Tony Stark was my father, but didn't seek him out until I had to; I wasn't up to date with the times. I thought he still made weapons, and I didn't like that. But I didn't have a choice."

"So you didn't like Mr. Stark."

"When I was under the impression that he was still the Merchant of Death, I hadn't met him," I said mildly, staring out the window at New York City instead of her cold eyes. "When I did meet him, I found out that he's a great man. And he's never made me doubt that he cares about me."

She made a disbelieving noise in her throat, and I knew immediately that this meeting was rigged. Couldn't lose my temper; it would be bad if I threw out my energy and killed her. That'd be a real problem.

"You've already got your high school diploma, correct?" she asked me, flipping through the file folder. I tensed. What was in that file?

"Yes, ma'am," I said.

"And you applied to colleges, and have been accepted, but you haven't confirmed your position at any. Why is that? Is Stark not offering to pay for your tuition?"

Okay, more honesty. Maybe I was just overreacting, and she was just trying to find out my story. I relaxed my grip on Nova a bit, and snorted a bit. "Please, Tony isn't worried about the amount of money that my education costs." I searched her passive face before I continued. "The reason why I'm not going this fall is because I finally found a family," I admitted. "I still have a lot of time before the normal college age, and I found something that I hadn't ever had before- people that gave a rat's ass if I was happy. I want to enjoy it." Oh, crap. Tony had told me to watch my mouth.

The curse word didn't seem to faze her. "Holly, are you aware that your 'family' consists of two assassins, a super-soldier, a God, and a man who turns into a monster when he loses his temper?" she sneered.

Well, there was a mutant and an AI now, plus me and my mutant powers, but I had a feeling that Fury had kept his promise and kept my ability under wraps. "Don't forget Dad and Pepper," I told her.

"Ah. Yes." she gave me another cold smile. "Your father- does he ever let you into his workshop with him?"

I carefully thought about what I was going to say before smiling and exclaiming, "Yeah! It's awesome- I built a drone! I was always great at mechanics, but didn't have the resources or freedom in Tempe to really build anything cool. I've taken awesome pics of New York City from a bird's eye view. It's so fun!" I stared directly into her face as I lied, trying to channel Black Widow and keeping my voice even.

"So you didn't build the suit that you were seen walking out of during the Battle of Sokovia?" she asked bluntly.

"No, I did," I lied again, trying to seem casual. "Tony helped program it, it was supposed to be a failsafe; if I was ever in a life threatening situation, my dad programmed the suit so it'd take me to a safehouse. I was never supposed to join the fight."

She snorted disbelievingly. I put on an innocent smile.

"How come you were fighting, then? Stark obviously didn't program it correctly_"

"Sorry to interrupt, ma'am, but he did do it right, I just undid it. The reason why I joined the battle- and as a result, got hurt- was because I ignored all orders the Avengers gave me." I tried to keep my voice steady. Tony's priority was keeping me safe; that was obvious to me. Why was this woman trying to make it sound like he was careless?

"Right," she said sarcastically. "A twelve year old hacked an Iron Man suit."

"Well, I am a genius. You've probably got my test scores in that file. I hacked that suit so I controlled it, so instead of it piloting me to the safehouse, I flew myself to Sokovia. If I hadn't done that, I never would have gotten hurt. I did it because I love my family- I wanted to keep them safe."

"Holly," she said, smiling. Or at least trying to smile- it looked more like she was baring her teeth. "You do know that there are thousands of suitable families for you out there? You could have a mother and a father that was home every night and you wouldn't have to worry about dying at the hands of aliens or robots."

I snorted, thinking of my mom and my stepdad- Child Protective Services had never gotten involved with the way they parented me. Sure, maybe the injuries they dealt me weren't always life threatening. Maybe locking me in a closet for two days straight wasn't as bad as being held captive by Hydra people that mutated me. The difference was that when I was locked in that closet, there was no point in coming out to a world that didn't give a damn about me.

"I don't care if I might be 'safer' with other people," I said, the words tumbling over each other, trying to get the memory of Tempe out of my mind. "You won't find another group of people on Earth that care about me more than the Avengers do."

"And it doesn't bother you that they're all murderers?"

I looked away, clenching my fists, trying to keep my arms from shaking, trying to keep my energy from bursting out. "Not intentionally. They protect people," I spat out. All traces of politeness were gone. I was livid. How dare she call the Avengers murderers when they were trying to stop the scumbags that actually were killing people?

"Judging by the injuries documented when you were admitted to the hospital, they clearly don't protect you."

I suddenly found myself on my feet. This woman accused the Avengers of not keeping me safe, when I was abused for years in Tempe and CPS never stepped in? "Yes, they do!" I shouted, my voice shaking. My energy was about to blow- I needed to get a grip on myself now. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the build up, praying that I wouldn't break Pepper's office or kill this woman when I exploded.

I was distracted by a knock at the door. It burst open, and Phil Coulson walked in. "Sorry I'm late," he said smoothly as walked over. "I'm Holly Stark's lawyer."

I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling my frustration ebb away slowly. Agent Coulson was here- no, the Director Coulson was here. it'd be okay.

He looked at me for a second, his concerned eyes travelling down to my clenched hand. For the first time, I realized how badly my hand was throbbing, and looking down, I saw that I had been squeezing Nova's chip so hard that the metal edges had cut into my palm, and blood was starting to run down my fist. "Hey, Phil," I said to him, trying to keep my voice even and my expression from looking murderous. "I'm so glad you're here."

Coulson turned back to Russel. "This interview with Holly is over. She's clearly distressed. I'll be contacting your supervisor about interview tactics," he snapped. His tone softer, he told me, "Holly, go back upstairs."

I stood up and half ran out of the room, straight into Pepper. I rebounded off and teetered backwards, while she stayed steadfast on her high-heeled feet.

"Holly! Are you alright?" She asked, gripping the tops of my shoulders in her hands and steadying me before I could fall.

I took a deep breath, trying to get control over myself, trying not to cry. I could still feel the energy there, but thankfully, it was quickly fading away. I realized I couldn't find my voice, and I just threw my arms around Pepper and hugged her.

"It's okay," she whispered, stroking my hair. "It's okay…"

Finally, after about a minute, I pulled back and found my voice. "I'm okay. Sort of. The questions they asked me were really… weird," I ended lamely. I realized that the blood was starting to drip onto the expensive looking carpeting. "Shit," I muttered, holding my still clenched fist up to eye level. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She took my hand and gently massaged it open, then took Nova's now bloodstained chip out of my hand. I immediately tried to take it with my uninjured hand, but she shook her head and put her arm around my shoulders. "I'll have Bruce or Tony clean it off first. Let's get you back upstairs and have Dr. Foster take care of that," she murmured. "Tony's interview is done as well; they're not taking you anywhere today. You can thank Dr. Garner's psych workup for that; I know you don't like him, but it convinced them that taking you from your home would have a negative psychological effect…"

I nodded, feeling embarrassed. I would have to see if I could hack into the files and take a look at it; I wanted to see what Dr. Garner had exactly said, because none of them had bothered to tell me. "Okay," I whispered.

Once my palm had been bandaged up- the cut wasn't deep enough to merit stitches, luckily- we met again at the dining room table. All of the Avengers were there, in the same spots, but breakfast had been cleaned up. I slid into my seat between Tony and Natasha and as Pepper sat down, Steve started speaking.

"Okay, what was that about?" he asked. Everyone looked at me and Tony while the two of us exchanged glances.

"You first, Holly," Tony said. He was pale.

I cleared my throat, wracking my brain to remember and give them the most accurate answer. "She just asked me why I went to Malibu, if I knew what you guys were, what a typical day for me what like- I lied a little, by the way, made it sound like you guys weren't training me, and that I just hung out and spent time with you guys. Then she made it sound like you couldn't protect me and that's why I got hurt in Sokovia. I told her that it was my dumb decisions that put me in the hospital, and then Coulson walked in, said he was my lawyer, accused her of being bad with kids, and told me to leave the room." I shrugged. "Nothing to it."

"Yeah, sure, that's why you were squeezing your AI's interface chip so tightly it sliced open your hand," Pepper intoned, looking upset. "They were more than just 'bad with kids_"

"I'm okay," I interrupted, knowing that they all could tell I was lying. "It's over now. Dad, what did they want? What'd they say to you?"

"Well, they told me that putting a child in danger is, by law, child abuse in New York. Sokovia, as you might have guessed, was just a little bit dangerous." Tony sighed. "We're under investigation for the time being; they said they'd be in touch. They're trying to build a case." He looked at me. "I'm sorry, Holls," he began. "But I used Dr. Garner's assessment of you to prove that you staying here during the investigation was in your best interest. Since he is no longer available to see you, they want you to see one of their psychologists. You refuse to see them, and that looks bad on us."

I buried my face in my hands. "I'll see them. I'm sorry- this is my fault- If I had just stayed on the helicarrier-"

Pepper pried my hands away from my face. "Holly, you are just a kid. You're going to make mistakes and wrong choices. It's a part of growing up. No one's mad at you. But next time, listen. We tell you something, then it's for a good It's for a good reason."

Steve nodded in agreement, saying "It's too late to change what's already happened. What you can do now is do your best to follow our orders."

"So what's our plan?" asked Clint.

"We can create a Gram of Instant to show people our merry times! There will be no doubt that the Man of Iron is a sufficient caregiver," Thor boomed.

I face planted into the table. That's it. If my only chance of survival was the God of Thunder making a social media account, I was doomed. At least the only way they'd be able to contain me is if they threw me into juvenile court. And to be honest, with my mutation, they probably couldn't even contain me then. If they tried to take me away, I'd just run away.

Natasha rubbed my back, and I jumped at her touch. "Don't worry; Thor wouldn't control the account. No one cares how many Pop-Tarts he can eat."

"Or we could have a press conference with the both of you," Pepper said, her eyes lighting up. "If they see you two interact in public, show them how great Tony is with you, get them on our side- then we could use public opinion to sway CPS. The public is dying to meet Holly, anyway."

I lifted my head up, my face an expression of pure dread, as Tony said, "That could work. Get it set up- the sooner the better. This afternoon. Would you be able to get Holly her clothes before then?"

Pepper scoffed. "Of course."

I tried to fight down the panic. Standing in front of a bunch of people I didn't know and answering a bunch of nosy questions? I think I'd rather face Wanda with energy blocking cuffs on.

Steve nodded and stood up. "Okay. Do you guys want us there, or just Tony and Holly?"

"You guys should be there, but just in case anything goes wrong. She's got a target on her back by every Hydra agent in the world right now. Let's also run it by Fury first."

Everyone looked at Tony in disbelief. "Since when do you follow protocol, Stark?" Steve asked.

"I trust Fury to act in Holly's best interests," he said simply. "That's good enough for me." He registered their dumbfounded expressions and grinned at me before turning back to the team. "Okay, so, let's follow our normal plan but meet back here at three. Press conference will be in Stark Tower."