***Alexis P.O.V***

The next day after the attack was hard. I couldn't stop jumping at every noise, expecting it to be the man in black or my father. I could tell that I was worrying Tony, and everyone else. The rest of the Avengers had arrived back, and Tony had taken me aside to ask if I wanted to learn self-defence when I was feeling better with Nat. I had said yes cause I didn't want to be a liability again to anyone, or be weak like I had always been. That night I had gone to bed but was awakened by nightmares several times.

At the moment, I am heading down to the living area to see if anyone was awake. It was early, but a nightmare had woken me up again. Thankfully, I awoke before Jarvis had notified Tony and Pepper. Tony had been coming in every time that Jarvis had alerted him that I was having a nightmare.

I hope that they can sleep in this morning, I think to myself as the elevator doors open, and I shuffle out to the hall, making sure not to move too fast and cause my ribs to hurt me even more. They didn't need to get up so much because of me.

Making it to the doors of the living area, I slowly push them open and slip through. Looking around, I see that I am the only in the room with the sun beginning to chase away the darkness in the sky.

"Watching the dawn of a new day might be nice," I whisper to myself as I pad forward in my sock-clad feet and sneak over to the balcony doors.

"Excuse me, Miss Alexis," Jarvis calls out, making me pause before opening the doors. "I recommend grabbing something warm to put over your sleepwear before heading outside. The air has a chill to it according to the weather readings."

"Oh," turning around, I look around for something warm to put on.

"Mr Barnes has left a jersey on the sofa in the far corner of the room. I am sure he will not mind if you use it, Miss Alexis," Jarvis informs me as he lights up a corner of the room as an indication.

"Thank you, Jarvis," I whisper as I sneak over to where the light is and find a grey hoodie placed on the arm of the sofa. I hesitate before grabbing it. What if he doesn't want me wearing it. Biting my lip, I shrug and pick it up. I will just return it before anyone gets up. I won't be outside that long. Nodding, I quickly pull it over my head. Looking down at myself, I giggle as I see that the sleeves completely envelop my hands, giving me sweater paws. The hoodie stops mid-thigh. Shaking my head, I head back to the door and push it open.

The crisp-night air washes over me as I let the door shut behind me. The sun's rays were making their way up and over the buildings of New York. Peering over the railing, I see that the streets were already alive and filled with cars. People were bustling along the streets on their way to work. I take a deep breath and relish the feeling of the cold air. Looking back at the sun, I watch as it paints the sky with many beautiful colours. You can always count on the sun to be a constant thing, I smile. No matter if you can see it or if it hides behind clouds, it will always be there.

Giggling at my deep thoughts, I turn and see a set of outdoor lounge furniture off to the side. That may be a little bit more comfortable as a sun watching place. Walking over, I curl up on a couch and turn back to the sun. As the sun rose, I heard the muffled sounds of the living streets below rising up. The beeping of horns accompanied me as I watched the sun eat away the night.

"Alexis?" a voice calls out softly from behind me.

I yelp and fall off the couch in my panic to turn around. Pain shoots up my side, leaving me gasping for air as I try to push myself off the ground. Hands come down on my shoulders.

"No," I repeatedly whimper as I try to shrug away the hands. I hear a voice, but it sounds as if they are underwater. Suddenly the hands are gone, and I feel the presence of the person move away. Opening my eyes I didn't know I had closed, I find that I'm staring at the ground. Turning my head slowly as I try to keep the air in my lungs, I see Bucky crouched a few metres away, watching me. His mouth is moving, but I can't hear what he is saying.

Shakily, I push myself back and find the couch. Leaning against the front, I watch Bucky as he gestures towards myself and then to him. Reading the unspoken question, I shakily nod and watch as he slowly creeps over to me.

Gently, he places a hand on my knee in silent comfort—time ticks by as I slowly calm down, and he just waits for me. After a few minutes, he speaks again in a low voice.

"Are you okay?"

Taking a deep breath, I feel my ribs twinge. The pain must have shown on my face as Bucky asks, "Do you need me to go and get something for the pain?"

"It's o...okay. I….I've had wor….worse," I whisper as I go to stand up. Bucky offers me a hand, which I take gratefully. As he places a hand on my back, I force myself not to flinch from his touch. He is safe, I scold myself. Carefully he settles me on the corner of the couch when I was before, and then he goes and sits on the other end.

Silence settles between us for a while as we both watch as the sun lights up the day.

"What do you mean 'you've had worse'?"

I shrug slightly and mumble, "Pain just isn't as bad as some I have had."

"How? Cracked ribs aren't exactly as sore as broken ones, but they still cause a decent amount of pain," He says, turning towards me.

"I just have some experience with pain is all."

Bucky shakes his head but turns back to the view, before looking back at me.

"Is that my hoodie?" He asks.

My eyes widen as I look down at myself. Quickly, I go to take it off but am stopped by Bucky placing a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay. You need it more than me at the moment. Keep it."

Nodding slowly, I relax back against the couch. "Thank you for saving me and protecting me the other day," I say, breaking the silence that had once again settled over us. "You didn't have to, but you did."

Bucky ducks his head and shrugs. "Just instinct." I wait as he lets out a deep breath. "It was a change from being a monster," he mumbles as he leans back.

I laugh. "You are no monster, Bucky," I say. Images of my father flashing through my mind. Shaking my head, I turn to him and ask, "Why do you think you are a monster?"

Bucky just hangs and shakes his head. "I have done many many things that I regret," he finally whispers.

"If you regret them, then you can't be a monster. You can't have enjoyed it, or you would still be doing it," I answer softly.

"How do you know so much about monsters?" He asks as he glances at me.

I freeze. This was dangerous, but they could help me. Keep me safe, my mind whispers.

"I know because I lived with one," I say. Silence is all that comes from my answer. "He wasn't a monster at first. But I watched him become one. He used to love me, but then he found pleasure in hitting me. I tried to be perfect, but nothing was ever enough," I found that I couldn't stop talking. It was like a tap, or a barrier had been removed. As I spoke, I felt a tear make its way down my cheek.

"He found joy and pleasure in making me suffer, and I don't know what I did."

I see Bucky moves a bit closer from the corner of my eye. "I watched as he became a monster because when he became a monster, I didn't recognise him."

"How long was he a monster?" Bucky asked gently as he came to rest a hand on my shoulder.

I shrug. "Too long," I whisper.

"Who was he?" came the next question.

I shook my head. I couldn't answer that question. I can't let them know. I'm not allowed to tell.

"If you tell us who he is, then we can help keep you safe," Bucky says. "Please let us help you."

Taking a shuddering breath, I whisper, "I can't tell you. He said I couldn't tell."

"You are safe here. Let us help you," I hear a voice say from behind. Turning, I see Tony coming towards us. "I asked Jarvis where you were since you weren't in your room. And when I came out, I couldn't help but overhear." Crouching down in front and taking my hands in his, he catches my eye and whispers, "Let us help you and keep you safe. You mean far too much to me and the others to let anything happen to you. He can't hurt you here."

I could see Tony pleading with his eyes as his hands hold mine with his thumbs drawing small circles. Taking a deep breath, I manage to push the words out of my mouth.

"It was my father."

I feel Tony's hands freeze for a moment before he continues, as Bucky's hand tightens slightly on my shoulder.

"Is that why you were on the street?" Tony asks gently, as his eyes show that he is feeling anything but gentle.

I nod as tears started to slowly fall from my eyes. "I thought he was going to kill me, so I ran away. I couldn't stay there anymore." Looking at Tony, I cry, "I tried so hard to be perfect for him, but I couldn't be. I was never enough, and I tried to be."

Tony immediately takes me in his arms and holds me close. Feeling the warmth of his arms around me just makes the sobs I had been suppressing burst forth. I hear Tony shush me and repeatedly whisper, "It's okay Shortcake. You're safe. You more than enough, my darling."

Slowly my sobs subside, but I make no effort to pull out of the safety of Tony's arms. He continues to hold me, before finally saying, "You are going to be safe here, Shortcake. He can not get you here." I nod into his shoulder. "Now I am getting old, and this ground and position aren't doing anything for my old age." I giggle softly and pull away, going back onto the couch where Bucky was still sitting.

Tony stands up with an exaggerated groan. "Definitely not as young as I once was," he moans, before taking a seat in a chair beside the couch. "Now you have taken the first step in telling us who it is, but I need to know a name so I can make sure that he never comes anywhere near you again."

I nod and whisper, "His name is John Andrews." Bucky's hand on my shoulder became a constant source of strength as I told them some more of what that monster did to me.

Finally, after a time, Tony stands and says, "I know that was hard, shortcake, but I promise you that you are safe here. After all, who is going to try a go up against the Avengers in their own home?" he winks as he stands up. "Now I don't know about you, but I am hoping that Steve is up and making pancakes cause I am starved." He holds a hand out to me, which I grab and hold onto before turning to Bucky.

"Are you coming?" I ask as I step closer to Tony.

"I'll be with you in a bit, doll," he says as he sends me a small smile.

"Okay," I smile as Tony, and I turn and walk back inside. I couldn't help but feel that a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. There were no more secrets that I thought I had to hide.

"Hey shortcake, can you go and see if Steve is up and making breakfast?" Tony asks as he opens the door to head inside. "I just need to ask Bucky about some Shield stuff before I forget."

I nod. "Alright," I reply as I head inside and go looking for Steve.

***TONY P.O.V***

I watch as Alexis heads off towards the kitchen to find Steve who I knew was up, as he was in the lounge when I came in looking for Alexis. Turning around, I walk over to Barnes, who stands up as I come over.

"What are you going to do with what she told us?" He asks as I stop near him.

"I am going to get Jarvis to track him down and then get a restraining order to make sure that he can't come near here without heading to jail. I'll inform Pepper as well so she can get our lawyers on collecting evidence of the abuse. I know that Bruce and Cho documented her injuries when she first came here, which will help." I let out a breath as I say, "But I really want to go and find this guy for hurting such an innocent little girl."

"I know how you feel," Barnes snarls as I see his metal arm flex in restrained anger.

"We technically can't do anything since it's illegal to go on a manhunt for the guy," I run my hand through my hair and look at Barnes. "Can you get Nat and Clint to see what they could possibly dig up on the guy with Jarvis?"

Barnes nods and goes to head inside. "I'll get onto that now."

I reach out and grab his arm. "You need to eat first, so Alexis doesn't think that anything is up. She is expecting you to eat breakfast with us, and knowing Nat and Clint, they will be here soon."

He lets out a breath but nods his head. I let him go and follow him back inside.

I hope that we do enough, I think as I walk inside and see her laughing with Steve as she helps set the table for breakfast. She belongs here. And if I have anything to say about it, then she will stay here. No one is hurting her ever again.