(A/N): Welcome back guys! Hope you're all staying safe and healthy! I know we're all getting a little antsy with having to stay inside so much but please resist the urge to start pushing boundaries. I know you might be bored but at least you're alive. The healthcare community would be eternally grateful if you didn't go out and put yourself and others in danger.

Thanks to pwrmom2, renaid, Geethika, Stephanie MRV (welcome back btw!), NorthernLights25, JeSuisMewmew, Cheryl Grant, Lionhearted21, BlondeBecca28, angel897, Lerris, Nessa Kane, Sora Loves Rain, Adharablack85-2, General Mac, mUmaRhz, crity2re, DOAWOTA, Freyja-Njorda, voldyismyfather, alexaguamenti, PIPhoenix, aiyaiy13, nagi92, Catzandbookz8, Westcoast222, julespuch, hypercrazyx3, and Guests for reviewing! I'm excited to see that some new readers have found this story and I'm glad that you're all enjoying it so much!

This chapter is unbetaed because I didn't get it to my beta in a timely fashion. My bad xD Sorry sailorxbloom!

This chapter has just has characters from Daredevil in it this time around! There is a joke about American politics though- specifically the 2008 and the 2012 elections and I'm not sorry for that. Don't worry if you don't get it- not that huge of a deal.

Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!

Harry's eyes kept flickering around the room, desperately trying to avoid the steady gazes of Luna and Neville. Despite the fact that he had been the one to seek out Luna, Harry felt quite unprepared for the conversation they were about to have- especially since Neville was there visiting. He and Neville had never been as close as they might have been, a fact that Harry did regret; he had always been closer to Hermione and Luna than the rest of them. And considering the fact that Harry was there to talk to Luna about Hermione…

"I won't answer if you don't ask," Luna told him.

Harry finally met her gaze and couldn't help flinching at the coolness there. She had never looked at him like that before. Then again, it had been years since they'd spoken to one another. He had pushed everyone away after Ginny- Harry couldn't have expected her to welcome him back as though nothing had happened.

He'd wished she would though.

"Have you seen Hermione since she's been back?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"That's not the right question," she chided him.

He tried again. "Did you know that she'd changed her name?"

"That's also not the right question," Neville murmured.

"Fine!" Harry snapped. "Why'd she change her name? Why is she running around, not acting like Hermione?"

"Partially because she grew up. And partially because she's running," Neville told Harry, as though the answer should have been obvious.

"Yes, but why?" Harry demanded, exasperated. "Why would she run? Why would she take on a whole new identity?"

"Because Hermione Granger failed," he told him simply. "And that's the one thing she's never been good at."

Harry had never felt more confused. "What do you mean she failed? Failed at what?"

Neville felt a swell of anger at Harry's deliberate ignorance. "At what? At everything! She failed to keep you from doing something stupid again. She failed to see Dumbledore for what he actually was until it was too late. She failed to realize that none of the adults she thought she could trust were on her side because they were either too busy ignoring the facts before their eyes or too deep in Dumbledore's pocket to care about silly things like the obvious. And, most importantly, she failed to be able to save herself when it mattered the most."

"That's not tr-"

"It doesn't matter what you think," Neville interrupted him. "What matters is that's what Hermione is thinking. And anyone who knew her well would know that."

"I knew Hermione!" Harry snapped. "But this… she's not Hermione. She has her face, her voice, her memories, but it's not her!"

"Why?" Luna asked. "Because she's not doing what you want?"

"No! Because… because Hermione would never be so cruel to me." That thought had been a mantra repeating itself in his mind ever since their meeting at the Ministry.

"Hermione would never be so cruel to a friend," Neville corrected him. "But you're not one. Not anymore. Maybe not ever."

"The articles about you from the last few years have shown you in a terrible light," Luna pointed out calmly when it seemed like Harry was going to continue arguing, sipping from her glass of tea.

"Yeah, but it's the Daily Prophet," he retorted. "She of all people knows that you can't trust anything you read there."

Luna nodded, blinking up at him with her still too-big blue eyes. "That is true."

"I just don't understand why Hermione of all people isn't able to see that!" Harry ran a hand through his hair. "They're lies- how could she possibly think otherwise?"

"Perhaps because it's easier."

Harry froze, staring at Luna in confusion. "Easier?"

"Yes. Easier. Perhaps it's easier- less painful- for Hermione to believe that you didn't love her, didn't mourn her, than it is to acknowledge the truth: that you loved her, and you missed her, and you still did nothing."

"When you said, 'I'm going after Grotto', you might have also mentioned that you planned on opening fire in a hospital!" Mia hissed when Frank came by the next day to pick up the Pitbull that Mia had decided to name Max. JARVIS really was a godsend- allowing Frank to enter through the side door and bringing him straight to Mia's floor.

Frank shrugged and leaned down to greet Max. "Nobody got hurt."

Mia wanted to bang her head against the wall. This man was almost as frustrating as Tony, something she hadn't thought was possible. "But someone could have been! There were civilians in there and you couldn't have accurately predicted their response. The blond woman that was with Grotto- what if she had moved and been hit?"

"I don't miss," Frank growled.

She snorted. "If that was the case, then Grotto would be dead. But he's not. They have him in police custody now and, if they're smart, they'll be putting him in some sort of protection program and moving him out of the state."

"No, they won't." Straightening, Frank shoved his hands in his pockets and kept his eyes on Max. "You said Reyes is trying to get me, yeah? So I'm betting that she's going to try and use Grotto as bait to lure me out so that she can finally off me. I'll be able to see just how serious she is, and you'll be able to find out just how long her reach is."

For a moment, Mia truly wished that human alcohol had an effect on her because this conversation would be so much easier to deal with if she wasn't sober. Then again, the last thing any of them needed to was another alcoholic in the Stark family. "I thought you were too straight-forward for playing games. What changed?"

Finally meeting her gaze for the first time that day, Frank firmly told her, "I'll do whatever it takes to end this. I thought it was just the gangs but now there's other people involved. I wanna know just how far up the chain this goes."

Mia remained quiet. His need for vengeance was understandable- she'd sympathized with him from the start. And after her conversation with Jessica, Mia was also desperate to know just what it was they were up against. But he still didn't know about any of that. And she wasn't sure when she was going to tell him. Because, if she informed him that he and his family might have been the real target, Mia knew that Frank would blame himself for what happened. He already blamed himself for not being able to protect his family. Learning that he might have been the reason they were killed would destroy Frank and Mia was selfish; she didn't want to lose him.

"I'll keep an eye on Reyes," she finally said. "We'll figure this all out- I promise. But I need you to promise me something in return." Frank eyed her warily. "Promise me that you won't do something stupid. I can't…" Mia fought against the lump in her throat. "I know I can't ask you to do something ridiculous and impossible like not die, but I can at least ask you to not knowingly throw yourself into a situation that you know you won't make it out of alive. Please. I can't help you- I can't do this- if I know that giving you information is going to lead to you dying. I can't have that on my conscious. I can't. So, promise me."

The fact that he didn't immediately respond was a good sign. Frank didn't say things he didn't mean. If he made a promise to her, he would do everything he could to keep it. "I promise I won't go all suicidal on you," Frank finally vowed. "Can't promise more than that."

She almost sagged with the weight of her relief. "That's more than enough."

Frank hummed, his frown saying he was unconvinced, but said nothing else.

"Miss Stark," JARVIS suddenly spoke, causing Frank to jump and start looking around frantically and Max to begin barking loudly.

"It's alright," Mia soothed, bending down to run a hand over Max's back. "It's just JARVIS."

"My apologies," JARVIS told them. "I thought you would like to know that Sir is on his way to see you. The elevator will be arriving in one minute."

Mia swore. "Any chance we can stall him?"

"Unfortunately, no. Sir knows you have a guest here and wants to meet him."

Glancing over at Frank with wide eyes, Mia said, "Just... play along, alright? The last thing we need is for my brother to get a stupid idea into his head."

"Fine," Frank grunted, and then muttered under his breath, "Fucking hate technology."

"The amazingness that is JARVIS simply cannot be captured with such a simple word as technology," Mia chided. "It would be better for you to think of JARVIS as a god rather than as a simple AI. And if you upset him, then we'll find ourselves as sinners in the hands of an angry god."

Frank scoffed. "Wasn't the point of that essay basically that we're all gonna burn in hell anyway no matter how much good we try to do?"

"Yes, that's the one."

The elevator doors opened, and her brother strode out. "Talking about me I see," he announced in lieu of a greeting.

"You calling yourself a sinner?" Frank asked, lips quirking upwards slightly.

"Virtuous people are just losers who've never known a good time," Tony told him before looking down at Max. "Why is there a dog here?" he asked his sister. "You know I don't believe in pets."

"Just because you don't believe in them doesn't mean they're not real," Mia informed him, smiling down at the Pitbull. "This is Max."

"Max?" Tony repeated. "Who names a dog Max?"

"Well, technically, it's Maximus."

Frank stared at her, head tilted slightly to the side and brows furrowed in thought. "From Tangled?"

"You've seen Tangled?" Tony asked him, pointedly looking at the bruises on Frank's face and his cut-up knuckles.

"Why are you here?" Mia asked Tony, giving him a look that said he better have a good answer.

Tony's expression turned serious. "We've got a meeting with Samuel."

Mia frowned. "It's not on the schedule. Is it an emergency?"

"Sounds like it."

"Did you do something?" she questioned.

Her brother glowered at her. "No."

"Alright. Did I do something?"

"You don't know?" Frank asked her, sounding amused.

"I'm a very busy woman," Mia told him. "So many enemies, so little time- it can be hard to keep track of everything. I'm sure you understand."

That pulled a bark of laughter from him. "That I do." Moving to grab the leash that Mia had left on the small table by the elevator, Frank leaned over and hooked it onto Max's collar. "We'll get out of your hair. Thanks for looking after him."

"You're welcome. I'll talk to you later today." Her tone ensured that Frank knew that it wasn't a request.

"If you must," he grumbled. Walking past Tony, Frank nodded. "Stark."

"Stranger," her brother answered, turning to watch as Frank and Max got into the elevator. Once the door was closed, he whirled back to face Mia. "What's really going on?"

"No idea," she answered coolly. "We should get to MACUSA and find out."

"So," Mia started, leaning back in her seat as she stared at Samuel. "What's this about?"

Clearing his throat, he said, "Why do you think this is about anything? Maybe I just wanted to check in, see how you're doing."

Mia raised an eyebrow and gave him a look that she'd learned from Pepper that had the MACUSA president squirming in his seat. "I might have believed that if it wasn't for the fact that those two are here." She pointed at Ed and Michelle. "Whenever those two show up, it's because you have news and they want to see how I'll react."

Raising her hands, Michelle stated, "In my defense, I am here in my official capacity as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Oh, I'm not," Ed chuckled. "I'm just here because I want to see your reaction."

"You're a terrible Vice-President," Samuel hissed, running a hand through his hair.

"Hey!" Tony chimed in. "He's my favorite vice president!"

"I could be a lot worse," Ed warned, lips twitching as he tried to hide his amusement. "At least I'm not declaring that I can see Russia from outside my window."

"Oh, Merlin," Michelle groaned. "We don't talk about that woman."

"She could have been your vice president," Ed continued, looking at Tony.

"Instead I've now got a pushover with his party leader's hand up his ass using him as a puppet," Tony sighed. "The beauty pageant failure or the puppet. Such great choices."

"We're getting off topic," Mia interrupted. Once the others quieted down, she turned back to Samuel and repeated, "What is this about?"

Samuel sighed. "How aware are you of current events in Wizarding Britain?"

Mia groaned. "Gods, what have they done now?"

"You don't read the papers?" Michelle prodded.

"I generally do but I've been busy the past week." Mia glanced over at Tony, knowing that he also occasionally read The Daily Prophet when he wanted to give his brain a break.

Her brother shook his head. "I haven't read it and Pepper must not have either or else she would have told us whatever it is they're saying about you now."

"It's not something they're necessarily saying," Samuel hastily clarified. "It's more like what people are thinking."

"The British wizarding community is thinking? I didn't know they could do that anymore," Mia mocked.

"This is serious," Samuel warned. "Rita Skeeter has gone missing."

Mia waited a moment to see if he was going to say anything else before responding, "That's it? That's what's got you so concerned?"

"Maybe someone finally stepped on her," Tony muttered.

"Yes!" Mia exclaimed, pointing her finger at her brother. "Maybe that happened! Maybe karma is actually real and just!"

"If she had been killed in her animagus form, she would have transformed back," Samuel responded. "You know this!"

Falling back into her chair, Mia sighed. "I know, but is it wrong to hope?"

"Also, isn't that just a great image?" Ed added. "Just imagine: someone stomps on a beetle because it's gross and then bam!"

"They really can't rule that out," Michelle pointed out. "Someone could have stepped on her and then, when she transformed back, panicked. Considering the fact that she only used her animagus form to spy on people, it could be that she was accidentally killed and then whoever she was observing disposed of her in order to protect themselves."

"Or because they knew that trash doesn't deserve a proper burial," Mia hissed to Tony, who nodded in agreement. "Also, let's be honest, it's not likely to have been an accident."

Samuel prodded, "You really don't know what happened to her?"

"On the record- no, I don't. Off the record- if I had done something to her, you would have known about it because it would have been the spectacle of a lifetime."

The President nodded. "Alright, I believe you. Speaking of trash though…"

"I already love where this is headed," Tony declared.

"Do you recognize this?" Samuel asked, opening a folder and sliding it over to her.

Mia glanced down at the photographs and frowned. Beginning to flip through them, she said, "This is Hogwarts."

"Technically, it's the remains of Dumbledore's grave," Ed corrected, studying her closely. "But, since his ridiculously ostentatious tomb was on Hogwarts grounds, I'm going to go ahead and say that you gave the correct answer."

She glared at him for a moment before turning her attention back to Samuel. "What happened? And, more importantly, why are you telling me?"

"The tomb was destroyed, the body was stolen, and there is speculation that you may have had prior knowledge of this crime," Samuel answered slowly, clearly picking and choosing his words.

"They think you stole his body?" Tony demanded, turning to look at his sister. "Do you have a reputation over there for absconding with corpses?"

"Only the fresh ones," Mia answered dryly. "Mummified corpses frighten me."

"The movie freak you out?" he asked, nodding sympathetically. "It's a common fear, don't worry."

Mia blinked at him. "What movie?"

"Wait," Ed joined in, holding up his hand. "You haven't seen The Mummy?" When she shook her head, he turned to Tony. "How could you let this happen?"

Samuel tipped his head back to look at the ceiling. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Is that a rhetorical question or do you want an answer?" Michelle asked.

"Alright!" Mia called, raising both her hands up and gesturing for everyone to stop. "We need to stay on topic. And that topic is apparently whether or not I am a body-snatcher."

"Let me be clear," Samuel started. "I do not think that you destroyed Dumbledore's tomb and stole his body. Mostly because that's a lot of work towards someone who's not worth the effort and I know you're busy right now. And I am not the only one who doesn't think it's you- Potter's been pretty vocal about how you are not the culprit."

"Really?" Tony drawled, sharing a glance with his sister. "That's… unsettling."

"It's unimportant," Mia corrected. Meeting Samuel's gaze, she asked, "Do they believe there's a connection between the two crimes?"

"Sure," Samuel nodded. "The connection is that you didn't like either of them."

There was a moment of silence before Mia's temper finally snapped. "THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS!"

Ed began to laugh as Mia started to rage. "YOU CANNOT JUST DECIDE TO CONNECT TWO CRIMES TOGETHER SIMPLY BECAUSE BOTH OF THEM ARE TERRIBLE HUMAN BEINGS. THE M.O.'S AREN'T EVEN SIMILAR- ONE OF THEM IS DEAD FOR MERLIN'S SAKE. BODY-SNATCHING AND KIDNAPPING ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS; IT DOESN'T TAKE A GENIUS TO REALIZE THAT. THIS IS A LEVEL OF NONSENSE I COULDN'T EVEN HAVE EVER IMAGINED THAT THEY'D STOOP TO. Mostly because I never imagined that I'd be fortunate enough to live in a world that Rita Skeeter wasn't obnoxiously buzzing around in or that someone would steal Dumbledore's body but still."

Later, once they were back in the car, Tony suggested, "Did either-slash-both of your parents have something to do with it?"

Mia just shook her head. "Give me a moment and I'll ask."

While it was highly unlikely that either of them were involved, Mia couldn't discount the idea without first checking with them. Though, if her parents were involved, it would absolutely be both of them together not just one; destroying the tomb would have been a very Carol thing to do but she never would have stolen a body and stealing a body might be something Loki would do but he wouldn't have made such a mess. Getting rid of Skeeter could have been either of them though since her parents loathed the woman just as much as she did.

Gently nudging against their bond, Mia waited to see if her parents were free.

What's up, kid? her mother immediately responded.

Is Dad there? Mia asked, hoping she wouldn't have to explain the situation twice.

I'm here, he told them. Is something wrong?

That depends on your answer. She sent them the memory of her conversation about the latest wizarding news and of the photos she'd been shown. Do either of you know anything about this?

No, Loki finally answered. The fact that his body was stolen though does not bode well.

Who the hell steals a body? Carol wondered, her disgust echoing through the connection. Don't people who want a body for whatever reason generally go for fresh ones?

In most cases, yes, he told them. But in this case, I imagine that they chose Dumbledore for a specific reason.

Necromancy generally requires for a body to be in better condition, Mia mused. But very few of those spells actually work, no matter how powerful the sorcerers casting them are. It's likely then that whoever stole Dumbledore's body did so for personal reasons.

There's hating Dumbledore and there's desecrating his grave and nabbing his corpse, Carol said.

And apparently, they think you, daughter, fall into the latter category, Loki sighed.

And that I kidnapped Rita Skeeter.

Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth, Carol advised. Provided that she doesn't turn up again, I'm going to say that whoever took her is doing everyone a favor.

Mia sighed. Normally, I would try to argue otherwise but she did accuse me of being a whore when I was 15 simply because I argued with her, knowing how terrible it would be for me. The world is a better place without her in it. I just wish we could be sure that whoever took her is actually doing us a favor and not laying the groundwork for making my life exceedingly difficult.

Carol laughed. Right, 'cause you're taking the easy road right now.

Mia had thought it would be a good idea to spend the afternoon piecing together the Winter Soldier's history instead of worrying about what was happening in Britain or what Frank was doing.

She was wrong.

The Winter Soldier murdered JFK. Of all the information she could have reasonably expected to find, that gem wasn't one. Tony was going to have a fit about that. After he finished throwing a fit about how Mia had been keeping secrets from him, of course. Hopefully she wouldn't be keeping him in the dark for much longer.

In an effort to keep herself focusing on the future instead of dwelling on the past, Mia had started making a list of what would need to be done once Bucky was rescued. One of the first priorities would be finding a way to assist him with retrieving his memories in the least painful way possible. While she had toyed with the idea of trying to do the same thing her parents had when they'd saved her from Bellatrix, Mia had her doubts on how well that would work. Her parents had used magic to create a safe space for Mia to rebuild her mind in. The key thing there was rebuilding, not retrieving. Besides, it was doubtful that Bucky would be comfortable with the idea of someone using magic to poke around in his head since it would essentially be someone using a power he didn't have and couldn't properly counter against going inside his mind and doing things he didn't understand. It would be too many unknowns for him to feel safe with.

So, if magic was out, that left technology. Which, considering the fact that it was technology that was used to erase his memories, would probably also be something that Bucky wasn't entirely comfortable with. At least technology could be explained to him though- could be explained to him using facts and data that he could comprehend. As Tony was one of the smartest men Mia knew- and one of the best when it came to creating new tech- she thought that her brother might be able to invent something that would help Bucky. In order to do that though, she would have to explain everything to him.

She didn't know if she was ready to do that. Mia didn't know if she was ready to give him even a vague overview of the horrors that Bucky had endured. Those were his to tell, not hers. Just because she had experienced them as well, didn't mean that she had any right to them. But Tony wouldn't accept her just telling him that Bucky had been taken by HYDRA and brainwashed into being the Winter Soldier. Tony knew her too well; he would be able to see that she cared and he would want to know why.

He'd want to know why it mattered to her so much. When Clint was brainwashed by the Mind Stone, it had made sense for Mia to be upset because she knew him. But she didn't know Bucky, right? So, why did she care? Then, Tony would start devolving into ridiculous ideas- the kind of ridiculous that only came after an all-night science bender. Was it because he was Steve's BFF? Did she want to return his friend to him as a display of her affection? Or would it be a challenge to Steve, telling him to step up his game if he wanted to impress her?

Once he worked through the crazy though, that's when he'd start getting close to the truth. Did she somehow know Bucky? She had briefly mentioned something about magically time-travelling while at Hogwarts so did she somehow travel into the past and meet Bucky then? Or, was it something else? Did she care because she knew what Bucky had been through? The Mind Stone had shown her his, Steve's, and Bruce's memories, so did it also show her Bucky's?

Gods, it was annoying how intelligent Tony could be when he wasn't being willfully ignorant.

Mia needed to do what was best for Bucky. That was the most important thing here. It didn't matter how uncomfortable talking to Tony would make her feel, because if it would help Bucky then she would do it. Bucky's needs were more important than hers.

Taking the stairs to the labs, Mia spotted Tony tinkering with something in his personal work area. Knocking on the glass door, she waited for him to turn and see her before walking in. "No music?" she asked, closing the door behind her. The silence wasn't a good sign; her brother always had some kind of music playing in the background unless he was working on a project so detailed that he couldn't stand any distractions.

"Nope," he answered lightly, minimizing all the windows he'd been looking at. "What's up? Is this about Steve's birthday? Because I've already got my gift to him figured out and you're not allowed to copy."

"Steve's birthday?" Mia's eyes went wide. "Oh no. I completely forgot."

Tony gaped at her. "Seriously? I thought you would have been all over it, Miss Organized-to-Death."

"Well, I've had a lot going on!" she tried to defend herself. "Don't worry though, I'll think of something."

"Well, if you're not here about that, then what are you here for?" Tony asked.

She had thought she'd prepared herself enough for this, had thought that she was strong enough to ask him what she'd needed to. But, when Mia opened her mouth to tell him about Bucky, nothing came out. It wasn't like the block Dabria had put into her mind to protect her memories from her parents; it was all her. She couldn't do it. She couldn't ask him.

"Mia?" Tony prodded, staring at her with furrowed brows as she stood in front of him, opening and closing her mouth without saying a word.

Perhaps she would have been better off simply sending Tony a letter explaining the problem. A letter charmed to automatically burn itself after being read. That way Tony would have no proof if he wanted to tell anyone what she'd told him.

Or proof of what a coward she actually was. That was the real reason.

Tony looked a little concerned now. "Should I guess?" he asked. "Is this a thing where I'm just supposed to know what the problem is? Because I don't. I think Pepper is better at that game because she's a terrifyingly amazing human being who I'm pretty sure can read minds. Or maybe Bruce? Bruce also isn't the worst at guessing. He's around here somewhere. I think. Possibly. Depends on what day it is. Is it still Tuesday? I thought it was Tuesday. JARVIS, it's Tuesday, right?"

"No, Sir," the AI seemed to sigh. "It's Wednesday."

"Pssh." Tony waved him off. "I'm only a day off so it still counts as being right."

"If you say so, Sir."

"How did you do it?" Mia blurted out. "After everything, how did you learn to be okay again?"

That was not the question she was supposed to be asking him. It was a question she had never, ever planned on asking and yet there she was, asking it. Mia didn't know why, but she was pretty sure it was all Clint's fault and she made a mental note to punch the archer the next time she saw him.

Her brother was gaping at her. "I… what? I don't… what?"

This was such a mistake. Mia whirled around to race out, but the door locked before she could escape. "Traitor," she spat at the ceiling.

"This is for your own good," JARVIS reassured her.

Mia glared. "You do realize I can just blast my way out of here, don't you?"

"I didn't." She froze. "I didn't learn how to be okay after what happened in the Middle East. I learned how to be Iron Man. I learned about what had been happening in my company and worked to fix it. I learned how to love Pepper. But I didn't learn how to be okay." Mia felt Tony's hand on her shoulder and didn't fight as he pulled her around to face him.

"I know that's not the answer you're looking for," Tony continued. "But that's all I got. It didn't… you can't just snap your fingers and suddenly be all better. Being Iron Man helped me for a while but, when I found out I was dying, it just… didn't anymore. But then I realized how important Pepper was to me and I wanted to become someone worthy of being with her. It also helped that she won't put up with my shit."

She frowned. "So, you finally became alright because of Pepper?" Mia didn't like that. She didn't want to finally be better because of a person. Not only was it placing too much responsibility on another human being, but it was also codependent. What happened if the other person decided to leave? What if your relationship with them wasn't going well and you needed to leave them, but you couldn't because you'd used them as a crutch for so long that you couldn't stand on your own?

If Pepper left Tony, who would he be okay for then?

"I can see your mind whirling away." Tony slowly reached out and poked her forehead. "Stop it." Stepping back, her brother gave a small half-smile. "You're not me, Mia. You don't have to do what I did- don't be me. Be you." With that, he turned around and walked back to his station. "I've always liked you better than me anyway."

Mia didn't even realize that she was crying until she looked down and saw a tear hit the ground.

Carol rounded on Loki the moment Clint disappeared. "Alright, what the hell is going on?"

Loki met her gaze with an almost bored expression. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Mia," she hissed. "Forget what Clint said about her going 'dark' because we both know that's bullshit but he's not wrong about something being up with her."

"There is nothing wrong with our daughter," Loki told her dismissively, starting to turn away.

"Hey!" Carol marched over and grabbed his arm, forcing him to face her again. "You don't get to do that. I get that you're still mad at me and believe me, I'm not real happy with you either, but we agreed long ago that we wouldn't let our problems get in the way of parenting our kid. If there's something going on with her then you need to tell me." When Loki remained silent, she pressed on. "We don't keep secrets, remember? Not when it comes to Mia."

He sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, Carol made several extremely good points. Also, if he didn't tell her, she would go looking on her own and that didn't bode well for them. "The problem is that our daughter still hasn't managed to shake off her bleeding-heart tendencies."

Carol folded her arms across her chest. "Explain."

"She's out of balance," he told her simply. "Before, our daughter lived her life balancing her emotionless, logical tendencies with her need to have feelings."

"You can say the word 'compassion'- saying it won't infect you with it."

"I meant what I said. After all, her need for vengeance is just as deep as her empathetic inclinations."

She couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips. "You know she gets that from you, right?"

Loki's expression continued to remain blank. "She's out of balance," he repeated. "Mia's no longer use logic and emotions in equal measure when dealing with a situation- she's simply swinging wildly from one to the other depending on the setting. She's using cold logic to deal with the threat of HYDRA but is allowing her emotions to cloud her judgement when it comes to that of Frank Castle's situation."

Carol considered his explanation. "That's why she's so insistent on no one but Clint knowing about HYDRA and Bucky. Because logically, it'll be easier for her to handle it on her own without having to worry about pesky things like legalities and people's emotions when they find out someone they know is playing for the other team. But, if she were to take emotions into account, then Mia would know that the consequences of leaving everyone she knows in the dark- of leaving Steve in the dark- are going to be bad. It might even irreparably damage their relationship. Logically, it's a sacrifice she's willing to make in order to destroy HYDRA. Emotionally though, might be a whole other story."

"Not exactly," Loki disputed. "She knows the consequences of keeping silent- she knows how it may damage her relationships. But Mia has come to the logical conclusion that stopping HYDRA and saving Barnes is more important than ensuring that the soldier continues to favor her, whereas before she would have tried to find a way of doing things that ensures everyone gets what they want."

"Her imbalance… it's like me when I was suppressing my emotions," Carol stated quietly. She would never forget how off she felt during that time, how miserable and unsteady she was.

"Yes, like you. Except worse." He tried to find the words to explain the situation to her. "She is our daughter, and while you are generally level-headed and balanced unless truly provoked, my emotions tend to be wilder. A trait that Mia seems to have inherited. It's highly likely that, until her soul becomes settled again, her magic will grow just as out of control as her emotions."

"Like 'making things appear without trying' out of control or 'violent explosions, burn this place to the ground' out of control?"

"The latter."

Carol sighed. "And let me guess- there's nothing we can really do to help her with this."

"Unfortunately." Loki didn't like it any more than Carol did but the truth was, there wasn't much more they could do to help their daughter. They couldn't force her to accept everything that had happened and come to terms with what she would need to do in the future. And they also couldn't force her to accept their help, or anyone else's for that matter. The only person who could do that was her.

Until Mia wanted to save herself, there was no way for them to help her.

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