The Aftershock

Time suddenly exploded for Darcy and things seemed to propel into action all around her.

The day after she'd been convinced by her dad to actually leave her self-confined hidey hole, the Tower was all but abandoned by the other Avengers. Only Dr. Hulk was left and after one quick initial smile, he too hurried away to spend time in his lab as if her very presence scared him.

When questioned about it, Tony adamantly denied that the good doctor was afraid of her and told her that in fact the fear and apprehension she was picking up was more directly aimed toward Tony himself.

"What do you mean?" Darcy asked as she gratefully accepted a box of Chinese food that a beaming Pepper handed her. The older female seemingly bursting with joy that Darcy had finally left her closet.

Tony sighed and put down his chop-sticks before answering with an unusual tone of seriousness to his voice. "I had a disagreement about certain matters with my so-called team and reminded them that unlike them, I don't have a boss."

"Aaaand?" Darcy asked, crossing her arms for good measure. She had a feeling that the disagreement was somehow related to her and knew from Tony's earlier bouts of protectiveness that it wasn't as simple as he made it out to be.

"And," Tony shrugged and stole one of her spring rolls, "I kicked them out, left the team to return to my more recommended solo career. The end. Now, what do you say we go run some funny little tests to see whether or not your abilities run a health risk to you? I'd hate for your gift to end up harming you – Your mom was always extremely tired whenever she used hers."

No matter how much Darcy begged or prodded, Tony refused to speak more on the subject of his former team and after a while, the teenaged girl realized that she actually felt a little safer not having the Captain around. She feared what she might subconsciously do to him if they ever met again. The haunted look in the Sergeant's sad eyes kept flashing through her mind whenever the Captain's angry visage filled her with fear and she would always help her mystery friend if he wanted to keep avoiding the national icon that used to be his friend.

Now, nearly a month after the Avengers had lost Tony as a member, things were still crazy. Fury had come by not long after Tony didn't respond to a call to suit up. Wisely, the grim-looking man had kept a safe distance from the viciously glaring Darcy that was never far from her father's side. He seemed to vividly recall their last meeting as well as she did.

"What the hell are you thinking?" The black man asked angrily.

Tony sat down next to Darcy and placed a calming hand on the back of her neck when the lights suddenly started flickering at the man's tone.

"Be careful, Fury – You may be a badass devil everywhere else, but I seriously doubt that you're immune to electricity. Now," Tony continued before the older man could even open his mouth again, "as for your question; I'm thinking a lot of things all the time but I guess you're referring to my lack of participation at the latest group adventure down town earlier today?"

Fury nodded, his eye cautiously running between a silently seething Darcy, the wavering lights and an eerily serene-looking Tony. "Yes, the world can't afford your tantrums, Stark. We need to always be ready to serve the earth as its willing soldiers."

The billionaire lost his serenity and a cold light entered his eyes as he leaned forward and harshly replied. "I'm not a soldier, Fury. I'm a man that wanted to undo some of the wrongs in the world and ever since I put on that suit, I've been treated like a toddler trying to tag along with his siblings more important affairs. You forget, as did Miss Romanoff, I bankrolled a lot of this grand idea of yours. I worked tirelessly to come up with newer and better gadgets for all of us, while keeping up with a really busy business on the side. Yet," Tony stood up gracefully and Fury immediately uncrossed his arms, ready for anything, "I'm treated like a side note despite all my work. Like I told your spy; I don't need you. I need two people and you're not one of them."

There was a beat of silence before Darcy copied her father's earlier movement and said calmly, "That means that you need to leave. Now. Isn't that right, Jay?"

JARVIS' cultured voice immediately responded, an unprecedented amount of smugness radiating from it, "I do believe you are correct, Miss Darcy. I shall see you out, Director Fury."

Fury's jaw clicked audibly when he realized that for once he had nothing to lord over the oldest Stark. The dig at the consultant thing very clearly stating that he'd used up the last of his cards and the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D knew he needed to go before he ruined the last shred of goodwill that Tony had for him.

He left as quickly as he'd arrived, silently vowing to get the details about the split from one of the culprits, Romanoff. She'd been incredibly tightlipped about everything when he'd asked earlier, but no more stone walling; he needed to know everything!

Damn if he wanted to admit it, but they needed Stark!

0o0o0

A few days after Fury's departure, Bruce was publically back in the Tower and working determinedly in his lab. It was his non green and non-volatile way of showing where his support was. His budding friendship with the Black Widow seemingly ending before it really began.

Darcy was a little conflicted. A part of her loved that the heavy responsibility and danger of having her only parent on the Avengers was gone, but she wasn't blind to the jolts and haunted and guilty looks that flashed through her dad whenever JARVIS announced that there was a call to arms from the Avengers.

Then Rhodey returned from some kind of deep secret mission with War Machine and dragged Tony to his workshop to tinker and repair, which seemed to cheer him up immensely and Darcy relaxed a fraction.

She didn't have time to worry too much after that because the afternoon after Rhodey's reappearance, Tony and Pepper led Darcy into the meeting room off the living room in their penthouse.

"What's up?" Darcy asked. She was feeling a little worried at the serious looks in her family's eyes. "I haven't ruined anything today. I keep using the breathing exercises that Jay found for me online and—"

'Fret not, dear child,' a kind voice suddenly sounded. It startled the teenager into silence and she looked on mutely as the voice's owner appeared from the doorway.

It was an older man sitting in a highly advanced-looking wheelchair. His kind eyes distracted her from her perusal of his bald scalp. 'I'm here to help you, Darcy.'

It took a long second, before Darcy realized that the man's lips hadn't actually moved. In fact they kept themselves in a polite and friendly smile. He clearly hadn't used his mouth to speak to her.

Tony's voice calling her name got Darcy's reluctant attention and her breathing slowed when she noticed the once again flickering lights.

"Baby-Girl…Darcy, this is Charles Xavier. He's the headmaster of a school for gifted youngsters like you. His gift, as you may already have noticed, is telepathy and he's the perfect man to help you with your control."

Darcy frowned and looked over at Xavier, but before she could even answer her question, he gave her the answers.

"My school is here in New York, not too far away and our students are properly taken care off. There are sit-down meals three times a day and aside from learning to control and use your mutation, you'll get a fairly comprehensive education with subjects suited for whatever future you envision in terms of careers."

Immediately, Darcy's heartrate escalated. Her mind trying to process the new information the telepath had provided, but all she could think of was the she'd finally been too much hassle for her dad and he was sending her away, despite all his promises never to do so.

The small rational part of her that had started truly believing in Tony's love for her didn't get a chance to calm her down before the lights all around her started exploding. The visible proof of her weirdness only served to bring about another massive wave of guilt that spun Darcy into a frantic mode that did nothing to lessen the explosions.

Oh no, she thought, her head full of panic, oh no, he's sending me away. I can't

Before her mind could further throw Darcy into a genuine panic attack, everything suddenly froze. The unnatural sight of Tony immobile in the midst of hurrying toward her, of Pepper reaching for her and most importantly, the explosions frozen mid crackle was enough to finally shock her into a small semblance of calm.

A quick glance around the room revealed the culprit of the whole weird thing to be the mysterious headmaster. He looked serious but still kind enough that Darcy didn't immediately catapult into a freak-out that would make the one she'd subjected the Captain to look like a jaunty breeze.

"Darcy," Xavier began, sounding so commanding that the girl automatically listened. "I do not mean to pry into your feelings, but you must understand that they are screaming at me and since I am in a position to ease your fears I hope you'll forgive the intrusion."

The man waited for Darcy's hesitant nod before continuing calmly, "No matter what you believe I am not here to take you away to my school. Not only do I prefer my students to be with me of their own free will, but I doubt that your father would allow such a thing to happen. He loves you very much, Child. You didn't let me or your father finish our explanations. I am here to offer you a place at my school during the day only. Your father will secure transportation to and from the school. Due to me and my staff's not inconsiderable abilities, he feels it will be the safest option for you in terms of keeping up with your schooling safely."

Darcy exhaled heavily. It was true that she hadn't been back to school since her so called gift had manifested and she knew Pepper in particular was keen on her getting an education and seeing the headmaster's ability first hand told her why her dad even considered letting her leave his side.

"Oh," the rather deflated teenager muttered, an acute sense of embarrassment rushing through her. Apparently, she'd just had a hissy fit in front of her new headmaster. Great.

"You may address me as Professor," the other mutant kindly offered. A moment passed in silence before Darcy finally relaxed fully.

"Well, I guess I'm going back to school," she said and then added with another look at her frozen parent. "I mean, if Dad forgives you for leaving him out of this conversation."

The Professor chuckled and within a blink of an eye, everything unfroze and the looks of complete befuddlement on Tony and Pepper's faces was enough to catapult the youngest Stark into a giggling fit that in no way diminished when Tony started demanding answers for what the hell had just happened.

0o0o0

TBC…