Wrong doing, right thinking.
Darcy watched as Natasha tugged Tony away. The spy was predictable; she was going to tell him what Darcy had said she couldn't and in all fairness Darcy didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand sure she didn't want to tell Tony herself and Tasha was doing her a favor; on the other hand, if she walked right through there she would listen to Tasha kind of selling her out. What would happen if Tony got mad at her for sending Tasha instead of doing her dirty work herself?
"Let her do it." She heard from behind her.
"Logan, you can't…" She said and sighed. "You don't know Tony…"
"I know Natasha, she wouldn't have done this for any one, not even for Clint." He interrupted her.
He was right, Darcy knew that, Tasha would have said it was a lesson for them or something equally obnoxious, and she would have been right, but for now she had decided to completely take over, not try to make any of them tougher, stronger, just taking care of making sure Darcy staid happy and hopefully Tony too.
"Miss Lewis, what a pleasure." They heard and she watched as Wolverine sighed heavily.
"I am not a mutant Magneto." Darcy told the man before she even got her eyes on him.
"I am well aware." The older man told her and she shrugged taking the hand he was offering her.
"Don't disturb Buddy." She told him looking at his amused eyes.
"Off course." Magneto told her. "I was having a delightful conversation with Dr Banner, he said you didn't see the point of coming here." He pointed out.
"Well as I just stated not a mutant, so yeah kind of." Darcy told him.
"It is my understanding that you are not average human either." Magneto told her raising her eyebrow at her.
"So what you're making an exception for weird human?" She asked.
"From time to time I let my friend Charles convince me that some of them are worth our help. I'd like to know if he was right about you." Erik said and she grinned at him she might not be worth their help but she could totally make sure he would remember her visit.
"Erik stop pretending you're evil." A woman said, not much older than Kitty was.
"Rogue just in time." He told her. "This is Dr Banner" He said but staid between Bruce and Rogue. "and Miss Lewis." He added making a gesture for her to approach Darcy, it was weird but whatever.
"Hi! I am Mary but I prefer Rogue." The woman said taking the hand Darcy had automatically gotten to her.
"I like how in here people prefer to be called by their code names when at the Towers it's the other way around." Darcy joked.
"Rogue what are you doing?" Logan chocked behind her but really Darcy was looking at the woman and didn't see what could be wrong, maybe except the fact that she had a really weird fixation for Darcy's hand in hers.
She didn't have time to wonder much longer hearing Bruce or more accurately Hulk roar from behind Magneto.
"Oh that's not good." Darcy said and looked as several of the seniors got around them quickly. "I am going to need my hand back." Darcy told Rogue who seemed to have totally forgotten other people were in the room. "Hulk-y, this is a school it's full of tiny squishable kids so play nice." She told him turning back toward Wolverine who seemed to have a one sided conversation with Rogue, the woman still enthralled by her own hands. "One, two, three…" Darcy said and sighed and Buddy appeared quickly followed by an armed Hunter. "Put that down." Darcy told Hunter trying to get closer to Buddy who posted himself between Darcy, Hulk and the rest of the world. "Everybody stay calm I'll be right back." She said not giving them a choice before leaving the room.
She ran into Kitty who said she needed to learn how to knock but Clint and Steve would be there quickly to take care of Hulk which made Darcy want to laugh on too many level to count. She let the young woman join the others and went to follow the way Natasha and Tony took a handful of minutes earlier. She should have knocked really Kitty had just reminded her of the importance of knocking but she didn't and she would like to think of the rest as history but it wasn't.
Tony had taken care of her since the day she was born what did that even meant, and what about her parents, and why would he, or why didn't he say anything? Too many question and really it was not the time, she took them to see Hulk and well Buddy because he was the one misbehaving here.
"How did that happen?" Tasha asked looking at Hulk.
"She did it." Darcy told them pointing at a young woman with a white strand of hair.
"He told me it was okay to touch you." The young woman retoured pointing at Magneto.
"I told you not to get involved." Charles yelled at his friend.
"To be fair I went to Rogue before I came to your office." He defended himself.
"We're all going to die." Clint complained, after Kitty helped him get from their room to the lounge by going through the floor, and Hulk growled. "Not you Big Guy. Them… They are so much alike it scares me way more than Aliens used to."
"Why do you need us to take care of Hulk?" Steve asked getting in from the stairs, apparently Air Kitty didn't tempt him.
"Not Hulk, he is a cutie." Darcy told them smiling brightly at Hulk. "But Buddy isn't taking it so well." She said getting them to look at her companion who was surveilling the X-Men and the students assembled pointing out his blasters at them. "Whose idea was it to get those to be functional this early?" she asked and Tony shook his head at her.
"Rhodey." Tony told her.
"Well fix it." She said turning to face Hulk. "Want to tell me what you're doing here Big Guy?"
"Hulk protect Darcy." He affirmed getting her closer to him.
"Okay." She said trailing it off. "Protecting me from what?"
"From me." Rogue told her.
"What about you?" Darcy asked her trying and failing to get away from Hulk.
"I don't usually touch people, if I do and they are mutant I borrow their powers, if they are human it could kill them, well mutant too but it takes longer. Anyway it hurts." Rogue explained. "Why didn't you feel anything?"
"Magneto!" Darcy cried out. "What's wrong with you man? They must have told you I was not a mutant."
"Quickest way to check it out." The man shrugged.
"Great and now we have Hulk, Banner is going to be pissed, the kids are all cute not being scared though. Buddy is going to kill someone. All of this because you don't believe in science?" She yelled at him.
"I still don't understand." Rogue told them.
"Oh yeah sorry." Darcy told her calming down immediately. "I don't get hurt, or well not that way anyway." She told her. "But he does." She said pointing at Hulk. "When you touched me it hurt him not me. Please don't do it again." Rogue nodded putting her gloves back on.
"Buddy come down. They are nice they won't hurt any of us." Tony tried.
"Buddy now it's enough, we are not in danger I need you to trust us I'll call you immediately if I need protection. Now you get down from the ceiling or I'll find a way to send you back to the tower to keep company to the bots." Darcy scolded him and the bot came down to sit next to Hulk sulking.
"What about Hulk?" Charles asked.
"Depends how many more surprises do you have for me?" Darcy inquired.
"None Jamie has been standing in the room since Hulk came out he doesn't seem to be having any effect on you either." Magneto pointed a young boy out. "He nullified the powers of people he gets close too." Hank approached the boy to prove Erik's point, his blue fur disappearing when he got close to the teen.
"Then…" She said turning toward Hulk. "Hulkie-Bear! It's a really old building if you break it it's not going to be as easily fixable as the tower." Darcy told him with a wink, she was putting on a show she knew that Hulk would give them Bruce back if as soon as Magneto admitted that he was done playing her. "They said you'll be able to come out and play this week we should have fun." She continued until Bruce was still Greenish but his normal size again, it was good that the multiple changes this past few months had at least allowed him to control the 'sleep factor' Bruce would still be able to enjoy diner with them, he wasn't as sleepy when he was turning back as he used to be.
"So who are you?" Steve asked crocking an eyebrow.
"Magneto." Erik answered swiftly.
"Like that's supposed to mean anything." Steve laughed.
"Let's see." Tony said watching the X-men that had staid with them. "Metal control, blue fur, telekinesis, X-gene borrower, physics witch, fire starter, super claws, Metal Man…" He said pointing them out, apparently they were used to Tony because they managed not to look offended by the ridicule-ness of his assessment. "Oh and don't get to close to this one Capsicle, he isn't called Iceman for nothing."
Darcy smiled proudly, Tony could be so thoughtful when he wanted.
"You're missing people Professor." Tony exclaimed. "Where are Remy and Mystique?"
"Mystique is on a mission, and Remy took some of the kids to town." The professor explained quickly. "Dinner will be served in 2 hours."
"Not so fast." Darcy stopped him. "I want to know if you're basically planning on sending me all your students to see how I react." She told him. "Because Hulk might not be always so cool with it."
"I can assure you Miss Lewis I didn't know this was going to happen but yes it's part of the plan, in a secured and safe environment, and it would be great if we could find a way for Hulk not to turn out if Rogue was to touch you again." Charles told her.
"We came here because it was safer but we know Mystique had been spying on the tower for days, JARVIS has a DNA scanner. You only allowed us to come because she couldn't get passed the 39th and you needed to know what Darcy was capable of." Tasha told them and from both the shield of Avengers forming around her and the faces they were showing she would say that half of them were not aware of that fact, including her two boyfriends, but apparently Hunter knew, maybe Tasha had told him so he could protect them.
"Is any of this true?" Logan said and she realized he was on her side of the room.
"She is there on a mission to get several of your Hydra employees out of the tower, being who she is has its advantages. Miss Hill and Director Fury both know." Erik explained.
"It's my damn tower." Darcy pouted taking a few deep breaths when she saw the effect it had on Bruce.
"Fury is still giving orders." Tony sighed.
"Hill will have to make a choice she can't work for both sides." Darcy told Tasha.
"We're all on the same side." Steve reminded her.
"Outside? All you want. Inside the tower? It's my universe, my rules, if she can't agree to it we'll settle a SHIELD base on the lower levels, with people not allowed upstairs." Darcy told them. "We can work hand in hand with Fury I don't have anything against him…" She started.
"That's because you throw him off his game." Clint said amused.
"Whatever!" she said giggling. "He shouldn't have tried to take my stuff." She added laughing. "I can work with him, but we are not working for him."
"Dully noted Miss Lewis, any new request for a mission will be send to you." Charles told her and she nodded. "Do we have to call Mystique back?"
"No, it's a good mission." She said shrugging. "Just don't do it again." Darcy chastised him.
"I wouldn't argue with her Sir, she won her parking place back from President Ellis just by yelling at him and his guards." Steve informed him, Charles nodded and left them there.
"So how about we play a little game called Truth or Truth?" Darcy asked without looking at any of them.
"Isn't that supposed to be Truth or Dare?" Hunter asked her.
"That only with people who don't lie to you." Darcy explained.
"Okay I think I heard the kids talk about a Basket Ball game and it's calling my name." He told them.
"Take Logan with you." Steve said before he could go nodding for his longtime friend to follow. "Buddy?" He turned to look at the bot.
"You're not grounded you can go with them. But if you get scared don't threaten people ask Hunter or come back to us." Darcy told him kneeling before him so she could pat his little head. Buddy chose to follow Hunter, he seemed to have taken a liking in those kids, and surely wanted to make sure they were not mad at him either.
Everyone took a seat either in the armchairs or the couches around them in the lounge and they stayed silent for a long while, Darcy nuzzling Steve collarbone from her seat on his lap trailing her hand on every part of Clint she could touch, tracing a hickey, Captain Obvious had made on his neck in the time she had spent with Tasha, with the tip of her finger.
"Darce you need to understand…" Tony said and she glared at him, she didn't need to do anything. "You're not mine, I had no legal ground to take you away from Elizabeth, and I was only 17 what was I supposed to do?" He continued acting like if the others were not there listening on them. "I didn't know she was such a bad mother."
"You were supposed to tell me." Darcy retoured.
And so he did. Tony explained everything from the Tesseract to his parents' death and told Darcy about the stack of pictures she probably still be able to find at the Stark Mansion in Manhattan unless Pepper had send them to the Malibu House which he hadn't thought about before and almost had a panic attack over, telling her that if they were there he would find them even if he had to drag the entire ocean for it.
"Calm down Tony, I am sure Elizabeth can send me more pictures if you lost yours." Darcy told him smiling.
"It was not only the pictures, she would send me your school achievements, drawings, your letters to Santa." He explained and sounded in pain from the simple thought of having lost them.
"Buddy I want to talk to JARVIS." She said clicking her earpiece.
How may I help you Darcy?
"Did Pepper move Tony's collectible of me from the Mansion to Malibu in the move?" She asked knowing that she was the only one who would get the answer.
Miss Potts put them in a safe under her own name, but she digitalized them first.
"Hum…" Darcy got lost for a few seconds. "Even the un-open one?"
I personally vouched for her, she scanned them but read nothing and didn't ask me what it was about either.
"I think she knows now." Darcy sighed giggling.
She was remembering a girls' night at the penthouse were Pepper had told her that her dark hair was going so well with her complexion she was happy, Darcy hadn't get too much of her mother's genes, but that the purple strand she used to wear looked good on her. Darcy had thought that Tony must have found her Myspace pictures but Elizabeth must have send them, certainly with a note saying she had tried to prevent it because Darcy was too recognizable with it.
"Send the file on Tony's phone. Thank You JARVIS" She said hoping he would get that she was thanking him for helping Tony and Elizabeth while she was growing up. She turned off her earpiece and looked as Tony shed some happy tears while he looked at the pictures sharing them with Bruce and Natasha commenting on the one he remembered, like the day she won her first science fair, he looked so proud.
She wasn't sure if she was fine with all this information and it had raised some questions she wasn't ready to dwell on but Tony looked definitely happier know that she had ever seen any adult being about her.
"Oh Shit." She said aloud almost jolting Clint away from their tree way cuddle when she jumped to join Tony on the other side of the room. Thor bless super soldier's reflexes. She took the time to apologize and kiss the both of them gently before getting back on track. "She knows." Darcy told Tony.
"Who knows what?" He asked her tugging her so she would sit between him and Bruce and would be able to look at her pictures. She got lost watching herself grow before she remembered why she wasn't with her boys anymore, gesturing for Steve to catch she took the phone out of Tony's hand and send it to Steve so they would be able to swoon too.
"Pepper put this file together with the pictures she found. Oh by the way she put them in a safe." She told Tony. "How much did you tell her?"
"I told her that I was taking care of you one day when she found out I paid for your private school in Oklahoma, she said she didn't want to know more, and she never asked anything even when we got together." Tony shrugged.
"Which was like a month before I came in, right?" Darcy asked and Tony nodded. "I think there is a gigantic neon sign clue that she believes I am your daughter." Darcy told him and Tony blanched out. "Go call her now!" She said pushing him out of the couch.
"It can wait one more week isn't going to change anything if you're right." Tony said.
"We're good Tones. Not a 100% and I have so many questions but I want Pepper to make a choice for herself, not just adopt me on your behalf. Go call her." Darcy explained. "I am not your biological daughter and she has the right to know it."
"I think Darcy's right." Tasha and Bruce said at the same time laughing it out.
"Your boys are hogging my phone." Tony pointed out.
"Here." She said giving him hers.
They waited until Tony was out of the way before Bruce admitted that he thought Tony was her father too when they first met, when he helped build Buddy, before he got to read her file.
The others kept talking but Darcy stopped listening she didn't even really realize she had left them before she sat on the stairs outside the mansion the weather was nice and Steve who decided to follow her and sat behind her so she could lean on him was keeping her warm.
"You want to talk about it?" Steve asked the hesitation clear in his voice.
"Talk about what? What would you want to start with? Tasha's crappy childhood that was so bad the light of her day was to hear a baby from hundreds of miles away giggle?" She asked looking up at him. "Or how Tony's been a better parent than my real ones, maybe? Oh I know maybe we can talk about how Elizabeth had me for money and only kept me because Tony offered her even more money? Or we could totally theorize about who paid her to get pregnant in the first place." She told him faking excitement.
"We could just talk about you." Steve told her brushing her hair away. "You've been dealing with a lot this past few days…"
"We all did." Darcy mumbled.
"Don't do that to yourself, or to us." Steve told her, manhandling her so she would straddle him and they would be able to talk eye to eye. "No matter how rough our job gets it doesn't mean that your own struggle doesn't matter. If you asked any of them, they rather take care of you than take care of themselves."
"That's because you all have a super hero complex and you're professional avoiders." Darcy informed him.
"Take one to know one." Steve told her grinning.
"Touchée." Darcy sighed. "But my only super hero problem is that there is too many of you." She pouted.
"You are our hero Darce." Steve told her brushing his lips against her temple hugging her close to him.
