Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or any other Marvel characters. I only own my OC.
A/N: Glad you guys like the last chapter! Loved how you guys didn't mind my own twist of things with introducing Harry and Norman Osborn into the story. Like I said, Harry will appear again in the story. I just won't say when. Anyways, sorry if this chapter seems short but we only have one more chapter to go before we end the Iron Man story-line and we head into Iron Man 2. The next chapter will be longer and more intense you can say.
Also for those who are confused with the word Chorejas it's a Spanish slang word that comes from the Spanish word Chaparro which translates to "short person". However, the word can also be used as a term of endearment. I used to have a bunny when I was little and his name was Chorejas. My family named him that because of his ears even though he was kinda big for a bunny. He was cute and I do miss him. Anyways, I just wanted to include that for those who aren't Spanish speakers. Enjoy the chapter!
I am now a college graduate with a Bachelor's in Anthropology! :D
"The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays."
― Soren Kierkegaard
Chapter 9: What a scary beautiful world
"The fifteen mile hike to the outskirts of Gulmira can only be described as a descent into hell, into a modern day Heart of Darkness."
Grace attentively watched and listened to the news that was playing on the TV in her bedroom. As this was happening she was hugging her brown plush bunny, Chorejas, closer to her chest. The same brown plush bunny Grace's mother gave to her for her fifth birthday. The last birthday Grace celebrated with her. At the moment Chorejas was the only thing that was offering her comfort from the sad news that was being delivered by a female reporter.
"Simple farmers and herders from peaceful villages have been driven from their homes, displaced from their lands by warlords emboldened by a new-found power."
Grace let out a shaky breath as she watched people who were carrying their belongings walk behind the female reporter. All of them looked tired and overall appeared to be in bad conditions to travel.
"Villagers have been forced to take shelter in whatever crude dwellings they can find in the ruins of other villages, or here in the remnants of an old Soviet smelting plant. "
A small gasp escaped Grace when she heard gun fire. The new now showed footage of actual gunfire by the terrorists responsible for the chaos. Grace held onto her plush bunny extra tighter.
"Recent violence has been attributed to a group of foreign fighters referred to by the locals as the Ten Rings. As you can see, these men are heavily armed and on a mission. A mission that could prove fatal to anyone who stands in their way. With no political will or international pressure, there's very little hope for these refugees. Around me, a woman, begging for news on her husband, who was kidnapped by insurgents either forced to join their militia."
It was almost now getting too much for Grace to continue watching but she did so. However, what was said next really got to her.
"Desperate refugees clutch yellowed photographs, holding them up to anyone who will stop. A child's simple question, where are my mother and father?"
Finally having heard and seen enough, Grace turned off her TV. The six year old was then left to reflect on everything she had just witnessed.
Before having watched that news footage, Grace already knew the world was dark and scary as much as it was bright and beautiful. Misfortunes and fortunes happened all the time around the world. That was something she knew very well even with her young age. When it came to death, Grace wasn't entirely naive on that subject anymore. The death of her mother taught Grace that life could be really unfair and heartbreaking. Not to mention her Uncle Miguel was just another hit to her heart. His absence taught Grace about abandonment.
However, even with her mother dead, and her uncle being off somewhere else without her, Grace came to realize that her life wasn't entirely one giant dark grey cloud. Not everything was gloomy. There was light thrown in there, and for Grace the light in her life was now her dad.
That was the fortune in Grace's life and it was one she cherished. It was one she wasn't going to take granted or think less of anymore...not after the misfortune her dad had gone through with being kidnapped. He was with her now, just as a father should be with their daughter.
Sadly, there were a lot of people around the world that weren't as lucky as her. People who have and are still suffering. Like the people the news was talking about. It was for those people that had Grace praying that they'd get a light soon. A light that would be able to offer them comfort and even save them.
Grace knew that if her mother had been alive she would have sent a prayer for the people who were hurting. Just as Grace had done moments ago. At her young age though, Grace was still trying to understand religion. Despite her confusion, Grace still believed that there was a kind, higher being out there.
God.
Even with all the awful things that happened around the world, Grace still believed in God and in heaven. That's where Grace liked to believe her mother was. She was a good person after all and an amazing mother.
During her last days of life at the hospital her mother (who was at this point beyond saving and exhausted from fighting her Leukemia) used to tell her in Spanish: Aunque hay cosas malas en el mundo, también hay cosas buenas. Solo hay que tener fe. Even though at the time Grace's Spanish wasn't perfect she sort of got the gist of what her mother was saying. Now given her perfect Spanish, she knew exactly what her mother had been telling her. She told her: Although there are bad things in the world, there are also good things. You just have to have faith.
However, as Grace was learning now that she was growing up, one simply couldn't always rely on faith and prayers to get things done. Especially with what was happening in Gulmira. By the looks of it something had to be done now. Someone had to save those people.
But who?
Grace pondered as she stared at the blank TV screen. Her heart was still racing from what she had seen.
Who would save them?
"Grace?"
Grace's gaze rapidly moved onto the redhead that was standing to the side of her bed. She had been paying more attention to her thoughts that she hadn't even heard the redhead until she called her name, let alone coming into her bedroom. Now Grace could perfectly see the concern expression the older woman had on.
"What's wrong?" Pepper immediately asked after seeing how Grace was holding onto her plush bunny. The redhead of course knew about her plush bunny, and of the story behind it. Despite the sentiment Grace had for it, Pepper noticed how she hardly ever held onto her plush bunny that tightly unless it was out of worry or fear. The last time Pepper had seen her hold her plush bunny that tight was when she had delivered the awful news about her dad's disappearance. She wondered what was the cause now.
"Nothing, I was just watching the news." Grace mumbled into her plush bunny.
Due to her closeness, Pepper was able to hear her just fine. She nodded her head, accepting the answer. Pepper believed that to be the reason for her low-spirited mood. Although she didn't particularly like that whatever she watched on the news upset her the redhead knew better than to reprimand her. They've talked about that before. She'd even spoken to Tony about it but at the end of the day Tony said she could watch the news if she wanted to. Although if anything too graphic did show up Jarvis would quickly shut it down. So whatever Grace had seen must have been ghastly but not bordering anything lewd.
Pepper could stop Grace from reading certain books and what not but she knew she couldn't shelter Grace forever. Tony knew this too, that's why he was more open to things than Pepper. Tony also knew that Grace liked to be informed with what was going on in the world. She was a curious six year old girl. Most kids her age would have liked watching cartoons instead of the news during their TV time but not Grace. Not all the time anyways. As Pepper had come to know Grace wasn't really like other kids her age.
Despite the shocked reaction's Grace would get when watching the news it never really emotionally scarred her. That showed Pepper that Grace was handling everything fine even for her age. She didn't have any nightmares about it, just mainly asked questions. Pepper figured she would do that right now but to her surprise the young girl remained silent. That just let Pepper know that whatever she saw left an even bigger impact on the young girl.
"What's up?" Grace asked her before the redhead was able to say anything else. She was less tense on the shoulders now but the hold on her plush bunny remained.
Pepper right away saw how she looked less affected now. She was holding onto her plush bunny but she sounded and looked a bit more composed. Pepper offered her a warm smile. "How about we spend the day together today? Have us a girls day out. Doesn't that sound fun?" Maybe that would get Grace in a better mood. The redhead always liked spending time with Grace. Plus, Tony did tell her to get Grace out of the house for as long as she could. That wasn't such an unusual request from Tony whenever he got too busy with whatever he was doing down in the lab. However, she noticed that Tony sounded more chipper when he told her that this morning. Tony was never that chipper. It was like he was putting on an act for her. Pepper was going to question him on that but he had blasted AC/DC before she could say anything else to him.
The redhead ended up leaving the lab with a huff and was now in Grace's bedroom doing as Tony had asked her to. However, unlike Tony, Pepper wasn't putting on an act for Grace. She really was looking forward to spending the day with Grace. Pepper could only hope Tony wasn't doing anything stupid. Well, she hoped he wasn't doing anything more stupid than usual. Anything that would put his life in danger.
Before Grace agreed on spending the day with Pepper she thought of something...or rather someone. "What about my dad?"
Pepper was already prepared to answer this question. She knew that Grace wouldn't go anywhere unless she knew of her dad's whereabouts and what he was doing. "Your dad said he was busy today in the lab." She informed her before giving her another smile. "Come on, it'll be fun."
Grace finally loosened the hold she had on Chorejas. She nodded her head, agreeing to spend the day with Pepper. She would have liked it more if her dad had gone with them but as Pepper said he was busy and Grace didn't want to disturb him. She'd be spending the day with Pepper though which normally Grace would have loved. However, Grace had a feeling it wouldn't be fun today. Not entirely anyways. Not after what she heard and saw on the news. The tragedy she saw made her think about her mother who passed away, and her uncle who was currently not involved in her life. It made Grace wonder if he ever would return...or if he was gone for good.
One of the many things Grace liked about living in Malibu (other than living close to the beach) was the Adamson House. A historical building that offered a lot of intriguing Malibu history. Which was perfect for Grace because she was a history buff, so anything historical called out to her. There was a lot to see when touring the house but Grace's favorite part of the tour was the garden. That was a given considering how much Grace loved the outdoors.
Grace had already gone through the tour before with her dad. Going there today with Pepper was the second time she'd been to the Adamson House. The experience was just as interesting as the first time she'd been there. After walking around and learning about the house (information Grace already knew but was eager to hear again), they decided to catch a bite.
When it came to food, Grace wasn't a picky eater. There were only a few things she disliked eating. She, however, was a bit indecisive when it came to choosing where and what she was going to eat. After what felt like ten minutes of back and forth suggestions, Pepper and her finally decided to go eat at Kristy's Village Cafe. They both ordered the pasta primavera. It, however, didn't take long for Pepper to notice that Grace wasn't really eating her food. The six year old was just pushing her food around her plate with her fork.
That was really unusual because Grace loved the pasta primavera. Well, Grace loved to eat in general but the pasta primavera was one of her favorite plates from Kristy's Village Cafe. Her not eating it concerned Pepper. She wondered if it had anything to do with their outing. Except that didn't really make much sense since nothing bad had happened. They hadn't been bombarded by anyone. True, Happy had tagged along somewhat but he was less guard like than usual. When touring the Adamson House he remained waiting outside for them. He wasn't even there at another restaurant with them. He went off to somewhere else to eat with their permission. Pepper wasn't at all worried for their safety at the moment because Kristy's Village Cafe had become like a regular spot for them. The employees knew them by now and respected their personal space. So the redhead wondered what had Grace so down in the dumps if it had nothing to do with being out in the public.
"What's wrong?" Pepper finally asked her. "Do you not feel okay?"
Grace debated on telling her the truth or not. However, it didn't take long for her to decide to be open with her. "No, I'm okay it's just the news I saw earlier." In truth the whole news thing almost escaped her entirely during the tour but said feelings and thoughts returned once they left the historical place.
Pepper inwardly scolded herself. She should have known that was the reason why. They were having such a good time together (or so she thought) that she forgot about how she was earlier. Pepper set down her fork as she gave Grace an earnest expression. "What about the news?"
"The news made me think about my mom...and my Uncle Miguel." Grace admitted, quietly. "I miss them and I wonder..." She trailed off, solemn.
Pepper had to hide her surprise from showing. She was not at all expecting to hear Grace say that. The redhead thought Grace was going to ask another "why is this happening?" or "why did that person do that?" but that wasn't the case. Instead Grace was asking more personal questions about her family. She knew she had to be guarded now that they were going to discuss Grace's mother's side of the family. "Wonder what?" Pepper softly asked.
Grace lowered her fork onto her plate as she steadied her gaze onto Pepper. "Do you think my uncle misses me?" She asked, sounding so innocent that it caused Pepper's heart to ache.
The redhead wanted to tell her the truth right then and there but stopped herself from doing so. Grace was still too young to know the real truth about her "dear" Uncle Miguel. Pepper had to resort to how she usually handled these types of conversations. By dodging the main details about Grace's uncle.
Pepper forced out a reassuring smile. "Wherever he is, I'm sure he's thinking of you." She told her in that motherly way of hers. Or he's high off his mind, or maybe even passed out somewhere. Or maybe...just maybe...he finally got the help he needed. Psh, yeah right. Pepper kept all those thoughts to herself, knowing it would only cause Grace to ask more questions. Not to mention it was highly insensitive. The redhead disliked Miguel but that didn't mean she wanted Grace to dislike him because of what she thought of him. When the time came, Grace would make that decision herself.
"It's just weird." Grace suddenly said, causing Pepper to frown.
"What's weird?"
Grace got a far away look. "I remember my mom. I remember her voice, her laugh, the smell of her perfume, but my Uncle Miguel..." The six year old let out a sigh. "It's foggy." She admitted quietly. "It feels like a lot of my memories of him are gone and I don't know why." She of course remembered how her uncle looked and how at times he had been able to make her laugh when with her mom, but other than that she couldn't remember any one-on-one time with him. Except for that memory of him and her at the park and him pushing her on the swing. With this memory in mind, Grace spoke more surely. "I remember him being nice to me. I wouldn't like him otherwise if he wasn't."
Pepper held in the scoff she wanted to let out. Miguel García nice...what a kicker that was. Well, perhaps he had been nice to Grace. She was his only niece after all but Pepper wouldn't describe Miguel as a nice person...especially not after she had seen the way he was with Tony when he offered him help with the problem (or should she say problems) he had. Unstable would be a better way to describe Miguel. In her opinion anyway. Although she knew for sure Tony would agree on that as well.
Although not Grace, not based on what she did remember of her uncle. Pepper was glad that Grace didn't entirely remember her uncle. The young girl was probably suppressing all the scary memories of her Uncle Miguel, which she thought was a good thing. No child should have to remember a family member in that way when their mother was already sick. What horrible, heartbreaking memories to have of someone you care about.
Hearing her cellphone ring made Pepper release a low sigh of relief. She was more than glad for the momentary interruption. She didn't even look at the caller I.D. and instead gave Grace a smile before answering the call.
"Hello?"
Grace saw her eyes widen not that long after she answered. Her curiosity skyrocketed because of this reaction.
"Tony?" Pepper questioned, eyebrows now slightly furrowed. She was silent for a few seconds but then spoke again. "Why do you sound like that?"
Red alarms were starting to go off in Grace's head when Pepper said this. How did her dad sound? She was able to calm down when she saw Pepper roll her eyes. No doubt her dad must have made some type of lighthearted comment to divert the seriousness of the conversation. "You sound like you're going through a tunnel. Are you driving? Where are you? I thought you said you were staying in the lab today."
Wait, her dad left the lab? Now Grace was beyond puzzled. If her dad wasn't downstairs in the lab then where was he?
"Of course I can continue looking after her." Pepper's expression then turned into one of concern and annoyance. It was an expression Grace had gotten used to seeing on Pepper whenever talking with her dad. It was rather amusing and she would have giggled had it not been of the bewilderment the young girl felt. "Tony wait―" Grace heard Pepper let out a huff as she closed her cellphone. "Your dad is terrible at ending a conversation." She grumbled to her.
"I've been told." Grace absently said before moving on to her question. "What did he say to you?"
"He said something came up, what exactly I don't know because he wouldn't tell me." Pepper told her and Grace was able to pick up on the frustration. Her frustrated tone didn't last long as it transformed into one of softness with what she said next. "Anyways, I'm staying with you tonight."
Grace didn't find that to be unusual. Pepper usually spent most of her nights at the Stark residence when working extra late. Not to mention she lived with Grace when her dad had gone missing. The Stark home was basically Pepper's home too.
"Oh, that's cool but is my dad okay?" Grace asked Pepper, trying her best to contain the worry that was there.
Despite her own worry, Pepper tried giving Grace a reassuring look. "Yeah he's okay." She told her. "I really wouldn't worry about it, Grace."
Grace repeated what Pepper told her but she couldn't help but worry. On the outside she presented herself as calm, and started to eat her food. On the inside she was worried as much as she was curious. Grace's thoughts were all over the place but they were all based on one question.
What was her dad up to now?
Whatever it was, Grace had a strong feeling it had to do with that project of his.
