Pepper barely questioned Tony when he hurriedly packed a duffel bag and ushered her up to the roof. She had never seen him so tense and nervous. Going along with his urges was the best decision.
Avi was waiting by the helicopter, pacing back and forth and watching the skies worriedly, always expecting the Bifrost to appear. "We must hurry!" she said when Tony and Pepper appeared. "He will come! I know he will come!"
"Alright, kid, get in," said Tony, nodding to the machine. He slung his duffel bag in and gave Pepper a hand to help her up.
"Tony, what is going on?" hissed Pepper, giving him a you-better-answer-me-know glare. "Who is the girl?"
"Please, Pep, just go with the flow," muttered Tony. "I'll tell you everything later." Anxiety was evident in Tony's eyes, and Pepper's heart fluttered. Her perfect man was suffering, and she didn't know why. It hurt her to see him so upset.
"Alright," she whispered, sliding into the helicopter and sitting by Avi. "Hi," she smiled. "I'm Pepper."
"I'm Avi," replied the girl, blushing, and turning away. So, this was Pepper. She was the woman her father was to marry. Avi marveled at how beautiful Pepper was, but couldn't find the courage to tell her so. The idea of having another mother-a mother apart from beloved Frigga-seemed so foreign and strange, and it was making her shy. Avi's heart ached as she envisioned Frigga, sitting in the palace and crying at the loss of her daughter. Did she know yet that Avi was gone? Would Odin gather an army to chase her, or come on his own? Would he even tell Frigga what had happened? Avi buried her face in her hands, mentally fighting the painful thoughts.
"Okay, all set?" asked Tony, settling into the pilot seat. He pushed a few buttons, and the helicopter powered up before lifting into the air. Tony swiveled his chair to face his girls, forcing a fake smile. "Here we go!" he shouted, before pointing to the headsets hanging on hooks above them.
Avi watched as Pepper and Tony slipped the headbands on before copying their actions, wondering if it was to block the noise. Tony asked Pepper if she was alright, and Avi was shocked to find she could hear him. The headsets transmitted sound. She wondered if her own would carry her voice. "Sir?" she said, addressing Tony. "Does this helicopter fly itself?"
Tony nodded, flashing a genuine smile of pride over his machine, "Sure does, kid. I designed it myself. I call it the Improper Helicopter mostly because it rhymes but partly because it's improper for a helicopter to fly itself. Well, not improper but unusual. Okay, mostly because it rhymes. I entered the coordinates, and it will take us straight to my cabin."
"It's a wonderful machine," said Avi, impressed with her father's ingenuity. Every time she saw one of his creations, a burst of dignity filled her heart that she could call this genius of a man her father.
"Tony, is everything alright?" asked Pepper, her auburn ponytail whipping about her face in the wind.
"We'll be fine," assured Tony. "We should be at the cabin in no time, and I'll explain everything. Hey, kiddo, how about that all-seeing guy your people have? Will he see us?"
Avi shook her head, "No, Heimdall's vision cannot reach yourself and me. As for…her," she nodded to Pepper, "yes, he can see her. But I don't think that will be a problem."
"How was his vision blocked?" asked Tony.
"I don't know," replied Avi, looking at her boots. "I just did it somehow. I wanted it, and it happened. I truly don't know."
"Alright, it's okay," assured Tony, reaching over to pat Avi's knee. "We'll figure it all out at the cabin. Wow, this wind is annoying! And these headsets are trash. I bought them on Amazon because we were in the middle of battling Ultron when I thought about putting them in. Probably should have just built my own."
"You bought technology on Amazon?" asked Pepper, surprised that Tony trusted someone else to design something he used.
"My mistake," shrugged Tony, spinning his chair slightly and pressing a button behind him. Instantly, the side of the helicopter closed, leaving them in an enclosed space.
Pepper pulled her headset off and hung it back on the hook, "Well, thank you for thinking of that handy little button, dear."
Tony smirked, "I like a little wind. It makes my hair look natural. Here, kid." He reached over and helped Avi remove her headset. "Now we can hear normal," he said. "Hey, what's that?" He nodded to Avi's bare left arm, suntanned and muscular from hours of training.
Avi glanced down and lifted an eyebrow when she saw what Tony was referencing. A long, jagged streak ran from her shoulder to the inner part of her elbow, and when she tensed her biceps, the streak would glow softly. "I…don't know," she whispered, staring at the strange strip. "It wasn't there before. It must have happened when I…."
"Exploded in lightning?" asked Tony.
Avi nodded, flexing her arm to make the light glow on and off.
"Exploded in lightning?" asked Pepper, using her hands to brush her hair back. "Tony, what is going on, baby?"
"Uh…" Tony looked at Pepper and chuckled nervously, "going on? Hm. Say, Pep, have I ever told you about my long lost family of Asgardian goddesses?"
"Your what?" asked Pepper. "Babe, what are you talking about?" She was confused, of course, but not shocked. This was Tony, after all. He could tell her he was an alien, and it probably wouldn't surprise her.
"Yeah, see, a few years back, I was in love with this beautiful Asgardian princess, and we had a baby and then, well, Freya…" Tony trailed off. He stared at Avi for a second before taking a hitched breath and sighing, "Freya died. I was terrified of the baby. Okay, not like, of the baby, but of how to raise the baby. I didn't want to fail her." He said the words to Avi more than Pepper, tears appearing in his eyes. Avi held his gaze, her heart beating fast in her chest as Tony spoke. He smiled slightly and nodded towards her, "So, I took her back to Asgard and let her grandparents raise her. The biggest mistake I ever made. Now I have a second chance, and I'm going to do the right thing. Bring up my kid and be the best dad I can be. Give her an allowance, ground her, chaperone her high school dances. The whole bit."
"Tony," interrupted Pepper.
"Might even design her a car," continued Tony. "Some sort of lightning car, maybe."
"Tony," repeated Pepper, leaning forward.
"No boyfriends until you're thirty," said Tony, pointing at Avi.
"Tony!" said Pepper, putting her hands on Tony's shoulders.
Tony instantly broke into tears, falling into Pepper's arms. The events of the day had broken him.
"Sir!" said Avi, leaning forward, but immediately scaling back, allowing Pepper to hold Tony close.
"Oh, Tony," soothed Pepper, still not entirely sure what was going on, but understanding that her man was hurting deeply. She held him close as he sobbed, his body shaking in her arms.
Avi pressed herself back against her seat, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. She had hurt her father. She wasn't exactly sure how, but he was crying, and it was probably because of something she had done. Possibly uprooting his entire life and placing him in imminent danger from Odin had played a part. The thought crossed her mind that she should escape and leave Tony and Pepper alone. She could open the helicopter door and jump out. No…that was silly; she would fall to her death. And she had no idea how to open the door. No, she would wait until they landed and then run away. If she were lucky, there would be other creations of Tony's that she could use to escape. Perhaps a flying machine of some kind. It wouldn't be stealing, exactly, just taking something to get her as quickly away from Tony as possible to save his life. But if he had designed it, wouldn't he be able to track it?
Avi groaned and buried her face in her hands. This was all far too complicated and quite possibly the worst day of her entire life.
"Hey, hey, kid," came Tony's voice, cracked and emotional, "it's alright. I'm fine. You just got me all affectionate there for a minute remembering when you were a baby and your mama…" Tony sighed and pulled back from Pepper, giving her a tender kiss before turning to his daughter. He placed a hand on her knee, "Hey, kiddo, you okay?"
Avi slowly lowered her hands and looked at Tony, relishing his touch but doubting her worth to him. "Yes," she whispered.
Tony, face streaked with tears, flashed a wide grin and opened his arms, "Can I hold you?"
Natural reaction drove Avi forward, and before she knew what was happening, she was crushed against Tony's chest, crying into his shirt. She had cried far too many times in one day, but this outburst felt different. It was not tears of pain or anguish that Avi cried, but tears of relief. Tony loved her, and she could see he was not faking or trying to appear friendlier than he was. He was her true father; his heart open for her to see. Odin had always been so mysterious, looming, and….mighty. Yes, mighty was the word. Tony was the opposite. He was loving and humble. Avi had known him for such a short time, but she could see it in him. She remembered the day he had taken the nuke into outer space, risking his own life without a moment's hesitation. Then she thought of Odin, beating her mercilessly when his fear of her power overtook him. Two very different men. Avi was relieved she was with the better of the two.
But as she rested there in his arms, Avi found memories of her childhood leaping forth. She recalled the time she had wanted to see the dancers in the courtyard, but her father's balcony was too high to see over. Odin had scooped her up and placed her on his shoulders, his strong hands holding her fast and safe. She had bent forward, kissing his forehead, and his eyes had expressed so much love. The recollection of Odin breaking his stoic image one afternoon when she had fallen from a tree, rushing to her side and gathering her in his arms, face flushed with tender love, also flew into her mind.
"I shall not be spoken to like this by a mere girl."
The pain of Odin's last words to her cut through her reminiscing, and Avi gripped Tony even tighter.
No. Avi's childhood had long since passed. In those days, Odin had nothing to fear. Avi was unaware of her power, and he was molding her to be his puppet. Of course, he loved his granddaughter, but he loved the idea of owning her even more. From now on, Avi didn't care what happened to Odin. He was no longer her father.
Tony Stark was the only father she had room for in her heart.
…
The first few hours at the cabin were nerve-wracking for Avi. She stationed herself by a window and stared at the sky without moving, ignoring any attempt by Tony or Pepper to converse. Every flash of light, mirrored off the lake, or sound of the trees made the girl's muscles tense, and she would press against the glass, heart racing.
Tony and Pepper eventually retreated to a far corner where Tony gave his fiancée the entire story, as far as he knew. Pepper was incredibly gracious. Secretly, she was a little hurt that Tony had kept this from her for so long, but she could also see how painful it was for him to recall. The love that flashed through his eyes when he looked at her made up for it. As much as he had loved Freya in the past, Pepper knew he loved her just as deeply now. The two were just leaning in for an understood make-up kiss when Avi jumped to her feet, startling them both.
"I think we are safe," she said, standing awkwardly by the window, running her finger over the glass. Avi stared at the glowing streak on her arm, trying not to think about the energy coursing through her body.
"Well, that's good to hear," said Tony, squeezing Pepper's hand before standing and going to his daughter's side. He took Avi's shoulders and smiled down at her, "Do you want to talk now? No pressure. If you'd rather just chill for a while, that's fine, too. I would like to know how you exploded in lightning eventually, but only when you're ready. If you want we can get out grape juice and make some juice pops. I love juice pops."
Avi glanced down at her boots but forced herself to look back up and make eye contact with Tony. He was being nothing but kind to her and deserved her respect. "Yes. I'm ready. Uh, to talk. Not the…juice pops."
"Sounds good," said Tony. "Uh…" he glanced at Pepper apologetically, "alone, or…?"
"She can stay," whispered Avi, losing the battle of maintaining eye contact. His eyes were too loving and kind. She felt inferior to his tender gaze.
"Alright, well, if you're sure," said Tony. "Let's sit down, kid. Here, you can sit on this chair." He pulled a beautiful, handmade wooden chair towards her. "Pep and I will sit on the couch. You take as long as you need to talk. We'll just sit here and listen and be supportive." He sat down, and Pepper joined him, linking her arm through his.
Avi sank slowly onto the chair, resting her hands beneath her thighs and took a deep breath. Now was the time. She was going to explain what had happened to her, even though she didn't understand it herself. This conversation was going to be rather tricky, but the look on Tony's face told her everything she needed to know. He was going to stand by her side no matter what, even if she was a possessed, lightning girl. They would figure this out together. The feeling from earlier came back, and Avi found herself almost cracking a smile. Safe. She felt safe.
She took a deep breath and began to talk.
...
Thanks for reading, guys! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. I'll try to be more regular! Thanks for all the follows and favorites!
