Warning: Casual mention of what I believe would be statutory rape. If they're even a little bit under eighteen, we call it jail bait for a reason.

Last time...

"You could have gone with him, you know." Jareth stated, once Thor had gone.

"I know, but Fenrir is still being seen by your healers." Hera explained. "I wasn't about to leave him when I'd sworn to be here for him. I want to go back to Tony, but…"

"You honour your word." He noted with pride.

"I am loath to ever break it." She corrected. "I can not say I have never or will never break it, the chaotic circumstances of my life being what they are."

"'Tis more than most can claim." Jareth nodded to her. "When Fenrir is healed, the two of you will be able to leave the Underground in much the same way Thor did. In the meantime, what would you say to learning a bit of magic?"

"Tell me why you insist on wearing pants so tight you might as well sing soprano, and I'll agree to learn whatever magic you want." She shot back, and he could not help but throw his head back and laugh at the bluntness of her words. "Seriously though, those crystal balls you play with aren't your actual balls…are they?"

Chapter 51

Things had sort of calmed down after that; other than the apoplectic fit she'd caused MACUSA to have when she'd walked in cool as a cucumber with both the World Eater and the World Serpent, having needed to register Fenrir as a newly bonded Familiar. Hera kept in contact with that boy she'd tried to help, Matt, which was just this side of legal. She'd lucked out with them being from a squib line that had migrated over from Ireland. Apparently, The US had had a problem with actual honest-to-God witch hunters up until quite recently, and so they were all more than a little paranoid at anything Hera did that could bring magic out into the open again. Tony got started with his raising awareness for Mutant Rights thing in order to hopefully bring about a bill that included anyone with special abilities, and it wasn't long before people began to wonder why.

Introducing her to the people in his work life had been hit or miss. Hera did not care for Obadiah at all, and flat out refused to be in a room alone with him. Tony was certain she would tell him why if he asked outright, but he wasn't sure how much more she should tell him of his own future. Happy was a driver/body guard/friend that Hera took an instant liking to, and when Tony suggested she have a body guard when she went out on her own (even though she didn't need it), she'd chosen Happy over any of the others. She hadn't really liked Pepper much, but it didn't feel like the same as Obadiah, so he was sure it was something that would work itself out over time.

Hera's first gala had been awful. Oh, the night itself had been wonderful, and everyone she spoke with had been interested in the joint venture she and Tony were thinking of taking on. It was only in the idea phase, but new tech was new tech to them, and they were eager to throw their money at something they didn't even really know about yet. Any trouble she had with a guest was easily taken care of by Happy, though how they got those broken wrists before the man even got to them would be her little secret. All in all the night had been fun, but what brassed her off was the fact that Tony had taken up with some woman, and had left her there thinking she would be okay if Happy took her home; she hadn't even known he was gone till she'd asked Happy if he could help her find him some few hours after he'd already left. Her anger skyrocketed when she saw Pepper standing outside Tony's bedroom the next morning.

"Tell me he doesn't make you get rid of them the morning after." Hera demanded by way of greeting.

"I am his PA, Miss Potter." Pepper sighed, thin lipped, shoulders tense; though Hera could see it was more about defending her own pride than defending Tony.

"You deserve better." Hera asserted, surprising the woman, before a wicked idea crossed her mind. "She still in there?"

Pepper nodded.

"I have an idea. Jarvis, I want you to record this. No need to reply right now. I don't want to alert the woman too soon, and this requires a certain level of finesse." Hera schemed, before looking over to Pepper once more. "You can watch, if you want, over by the far wall."

"Why are you doing this?" Pepper asked, keeping her voice low now to match Hera's.

"Tony has shown a level of disrespect I hadn't thought him capable of. He didn't respect me when he left me alone at that gala last night without telling me he was leaving at all, he doesn't respect you if he's making you clean up after his sexual escapades, and he certainly doesn't respect the people he sleeps with if he's forcing them to endure having someone else turn them away the morning after." Hera replied, before squaring her shoulders as she prepared to enter the room. "That stops today."

She quietly entered the room, making sure to suppress the click of the door as she entered. Pepper followed in after her, though she hid in an out of the way spot by the far wall, as Hera had suggested. The woman still lay sleeping, even when Hera raised the top covers enough to slip in under them. She wasn't about to look under all of them, knowing the woman was most likely naked, and Hera was glad she herself was wearing pajamas, even with the layer of covers between the two. It was actually quite easy to slip into a light doze after that, though she woke up when the woman turned to snuggle in what Hera guessed was a half sleep, and Hera internally grinned as she put on her best innocent face before implementing 'the plan'.

"Are you gonna be my new mom?"

The horrified screech that came from that woman would have put banshees to shame, before she was practically leaping across the room wearing the covers she could pull with her. Never before had Hera seen anyone move so quickly. It was kind of impressive really. Hera's not even sure how the woman found her clothes so fast, or how she'd put them on under the covers she held tightly to herself, but she'd done it, bolting out of that room like her arse was on fire. Both Hera and Pepper had sort of blinked owlishly at the sight, before descending into laughing fits once the woman was actually gone.

"I'm guessing that's a no then?" Hera added, once she'd managed to calm down, only for that to send the two women back into laughing fits once more.

"That was…That was…" Pepper tried through her laughter. "That was brilliant! And awful! I can't believe you did that!"

"Come on, I'll make us breakfast. We deserve something sugar filled after that." Hera proposed with a smug grin.

"Oh no. We're going out." Pepper countered. "Go and get dressed. I know the perfect place for a sugar filled celebratory breakfast."

"Alright, but I'm going to hop in the shower first. Merlin only knows what contaminates those sheets. Adults are gross." Hera agreed happily, and scooted out of the bed, racing to her room.

Once she'd showered and dressed, she found Pepper in the living room ready to go. Happy was standing out by the door, already waiting on them.

"Jarvis?"

"Yes, Little Miss?" The AI responded, clearly amused at her antics.

"Wait till Tony asks where we are before telling him, and then show him the video, if you wouldn't mind." Hera stated. "Make sure you let him know the women in his life are tired of being disrespected, and action will be taken if he keeps to this behaviour."

"Will do, Little Miss." Jarvis agreed, sounding very much like he approved. "Have a safe trip."

"Thank you, Jarvis!" Hera replied in parting, and the three left.

"Do you realize how worried I was?" Tony demanded as soon as she stepped into the house, sitting on the couch.

"No more so than I was when you left me at that gala all by myself last night, with Happy being the only exception, all so that you could go get laid." Hera snapped back scathingly, shocking him enough that his jaw actually fell open. "You didn't even tell me you were leaving. That would have been better. I had to find out on my own! People thought it was funny that you had been gone for hours, and that I'd had no idea. Instead of being concerned that a child had been left alone, they'd laughed like it was the greatest thing. I could have been kidnapped. How long would it have taken you to notice? The night? The next day? When did I register as a thought to you, Tony?!"

His arms were around her before she'd even realized it, and it hits her that she'd started crying somewhere in her angry rant at him.

"What was I supposed to think when you just left me there?" Hera demanded, hiccupping as she cried. "Thor just wished me away! Not his brother! Me! Why would you just leave me like that?!"

"I'm sorry, Blue. I thought you'd been told. No wonder you flipped out." Tony apologized, no longer sounding angry at her. "When I couldn't find you, I lost it. I've been calling everyone I could think of, trying to see if they knew where you were. I didn't even listen to whatever it was Jarvis was trying to tell me."

"Pepper and I bonded over sugary goodness for breakfast, and then we went shopping." She scolded, through her tears. "Jarvis was supposed to play you something when you figured out we weren't here."

"I can play it now, if you would like, Little Miss." The AI announced.

"Why?" Tony asked, backing away to give her space to wipe her eyes with her sleeves. "You're here now."

"Trust me." She insisted, giving him a watery smile. "You're gonna wanna see this."

After that, Tony had insisted on a family night, where he put away all distractions so they could focus on being a family. More often than not this was several nights a week, and they had sort of been trying to do this before anyway. He introduced her to a few new things each time, occasionally revisiting ones that she'd shown interest in during previous family nights. They're settled on a rather comfy couch this time, covered in light blankets, and surrounded by snacks, trying to kick each other's arses at something called Mario Kart. Tony had been sporadically stealing her snacks, despite having the exact same thing on his side of the couch, when he notices the goofy expression on her face.

"What's going on over there?" He asks, wearing a similar goofy expression as he nudges her shoulder with his own. "What are you thinking, Violet?"

(She'd finally watched that movie, during one of their family nights, just to understand that reference. Tony had laughed at the suggestion, but had gone all out for the evening.)

"This is good, yeah?" She asks, nudging him back.

"Yeah." He agreed, settling more comfortably into the couch. "This is good."

She hesitates here, wanting to ask, but still so nervous. What if he refuses? Even after everything, she still struggles with 'Don't Ask Questions'. "Can I…Can I call you Brother?"

She hears the intake of breath, like he hadn't expected that.

"Only if I get to call you Sis." He bargains, his voice affected by emotions just as hers is.

She sighs in happiness and relief, settling back into leaning against him as they prepare for another race. "I'm glad you're my brother, Tony."

"I've always wanted a little sister." He admitted shyly, before clearing his throat as he tried to pretend he wasn't as affected as he was by the dreaded 'feelings'. "Don't think that means I'm going to go easy on you here."

She just snorts, grinning to herself. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"So…Your birthday's coming up." Tony mentioned casually one day over dinner. "Anything you wanna do?"

Hera froze. "Uh…Do?"

"Yeah. Do." Tony nodded, picking at his sashimi.

"This doesn't count?" She hedged with a grimace. He levels her with a look he hopes conveys 'what do you think?', and she sighs. "Tony, you shut down an entire restaurant just so I could try the food here without feeling like people were staring at me, and all because I told you one time that I didn't believe the cutesy food I saw in that anime you introduced me to could exist in reality."

Hera had opted for a Bento Box with what looked like cute little characters in it. The rice balls even looked like cute little pandas. The place itself had a very traditional feel to it, mixed with the kawaii style she spoke of now. She wasn't wrong though. She'd made a comment once after watching an anime he would not admit liking to anyone else, and before he knew it he was moving mountains to make sure she could try it without judgment.

"I may have a bit of a problem." Tony allowed with a grin. "Still doesn't answer my question though. It's your fifteenth, sixteenth if we're counting that thing in third year you talked about. That's an important milestone. We should celebrate. Also, what do you want for a gift. Any ideas?"

"Tony, you…" She blinked owlishly, unable to form words for a moment. "You adopted me. What other gift could I ask for that would top that?"

He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face, even as he teared up a little, looking down at his food.

"Is it the wasabi?" She asks gently. His sashimi doesn't have a stitch of wasabi on it, and she knows it, but she's willing to give him the cover story; especially after he'd told her why he didn't like to have things handed to him.

"It doesn't have to be anything fancy, or a big to do. It could be just us, something like this, or we could bring your friends over." Tony continued, though he made a point of stealing a little of her wasabi. "We could kick each others asses at Mario Kart again, and eat way too many snacks."

"What did you end up doing for your sixteenth?" Hera asked, curious, looking over at him.

"A supermodel." He admitted blatantly deadpan. "Howard hired her for me."

Her expression went from an eye roll of exasperated amusement to horror in seconds, knowing that he wasn't lying about that. He wasn't sure that she could turn off the ability to always know when someone was lying to her, but he'd tested it out a few times with small things; like him having eaten breakfast that morning, or slept at all the night before. She was adamant that if he didn't want to tell her something, to just say so, because she never wanted to pull the truth from him just because she knew when he lied. Still, it was nice having someone who didn't feel the need to question him when he said things like that. It was nice having someone who automatically believed him, who knew he wasn't lying, and didn't tell him he was just over reacting or exaggerating what happened. He could count on one hand the amount of people he would let down his guard enough to tell this story to, that he'd trust not to sell that story to whatever paper would print it.

"Yeah." He continued. "What I wanted more than anything was for my father to acknowledge me, to spend the day with me, but what I got was a brush off and a supermodel to occupy my time. Mom was…distant by this point, so I didn't even think to go to her afterwards. Jarvis – my dad's butler, not the AI – ended up finding me later. I don't want to tell you where he found me…He invited me to his place, where his wife Ana was waiting with a fully decorated birthday bash so well done it was like they'd planned it. They couldn't have, but still. They'd even managed to get Rhodey. It was…It was nice. I felt more love from them in that moment than…Anyway, I shouldn't be pushing my wishes onto you, I know that. I just don't want you to regret not having done anything, you know?"

"Tony…" She falters. If he asked, he's pretty sure she'd bring his father back to life just so she could kill him herself. Best not to open that can of worms; not really sure how that particular bit of magic works anyway. "I just…You don't have to go through all that trouble…I…"

"It's not a trouble, or a bother, or any other unpleasant adjective you're currently thinking of." He insisted gently. "Anything you want. Anything at all."

"Anything?" She asks, softly. She looks away, but he's already seen the hope and doubt play across her face. "Ice skating. I want to try ice skating."

That's a surprise.

"I'm just afraid I'll turn blue, and if we're in a public place…" She falters again. "I know we plan on announcing my 'mutant' status at some point, but…It's my birthday. I don't want to be put on display like that on my birthday."

She didn't want to ask him to shut down another place, where he already had here, just so she could try ice skating without the risk of someone seeing her turn blue before the announcement.

"Hera, that's no trouble at all." Tony agrees, right around the time their waiter comes back by.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" The young man asks, surprised when Hera turns to him and starts talking in what Tony later learns is an eastern dialect of Japanese.

He can't help but take pictures as what had been a simple request to compliment the chef turned into a full on lesson in how to prep and cook various foods. She'd felt guilty for taking up their whole day, and when she'd realized they still had prep, offered to help if they showed her how. She ends up with her very own uniform, talking in languages he couldn't quite understand, having the time of her life. The cooks love her, and there's one who clearly knows who she is on the wizarding side of things. The look he gets from that one isn't threatening towards her, but appreciative, thankful.

"She is very special, your sister, Tony-sama." The one cook in particular said to him, having made his way to him while the others continued their work. He'd been here enough times that they knew not to call him Stark. Tony-sama was the compromise. "You know this, I hope?"

She'd looked over once, worried that he'd be mad because she'd ended up derailing their plans, but his small smile seemed to put her at ease.

Tony nodded, still fondly watching Hera as she worked with the chefs. "Yeah. Sometimes, I'm still surprised by just how much."