A/N: Sorry I didn't post in a while. Busy with college. I am trying my best to improve my writing. Criticism is welcomed.

Chapter 6

As soon as she landed in India, Rhea called Pepper. She knew it was morning over there. "Hello Ri, how was your journey?" " It was fine". "How is the man-child over there?" " Well, he didn't show up for the awards, Obi had to step up. Above all, he was in some casino". Just then she heard someone else on the other head of the phone. "Who is that Pepper? " "Another one night stand I guess." Rhea gave an exasperated sigh. "Ok, Pep I will call you later."

She saw Kichu and his dad waiting for her at the arrival. "Hey, buddy," she called out as she saw him. "Hey", he waved back. His dad came to her to get her baggage. As soon as her luggage was out of her hands, she ran towards him. The two collided and fell on the floor into a heap. Despite wincing in pain both of them were laughing their hearts out. People were looking at them as if they were mad.

" Skinny how are you?" he asked, as they got up. "Finee..." She sang.

She called Pepper on her way to Kichu's house. "Hello, Pep". "Wait for a second Rhea." "Tony you have to go." "Pep what happened? Give the phone to him."

"Dad, what did you do? Did you bring someone else home?"

"Ri honey, I.."

"Don't honey me, I am not gonna fall for it. Why do you do this? A few days back you said how much you loved Ma. Now I find out you brought someone home. I hate you. Don't you ever talk to me and I am not coming back. I don't want a womanizer for my father..." with that, she cut off the call. Before she could collapse, Kichu held her as she cried. On her ride to Kichu's home, she was totally silent.

"You never had to leave. I told you it won't work out". Kichu said. Rhea shot him a glare. "He is my dad Kichu. He may not be the best person but still, he is my father. I may scream at him, yell at him, tell whole lot awful things about him but I may not like to hear it from you or anyone else."Kichu let out a sigh. He saw his father motioning him to not to talk about it through the rear view. As soon as she reached Kichu's place she headed to her room there without speaking to anyone. Rhea cried to sleep that night. Her gut was saying something was not right, something bad was going to happen, but she didn't know what it was. She decided to call her dad at last. Rhea tried the whole night to contact him but she was not able to. She cursed the still-developing telecoms of India. She was growing restless.

Rhea was standing in front of the house with Kichu. She remembered the first time she came there she was six when they moved into the house. She remembered holding her mom's hand and staring into the big house (well for her tiny six-year-old figure the house was huge). She remembered how it smelt of wood and paint. As she opened the door, she fought her urge to call out for her mom. Kichu's mom had done a great job of keeping the place as she left it. Each corner of the house had a story to tell. She remembered the first time her mom made her stand in the corner of the living room for nearly drowning Kichu into the temple pond. She laughed at the memory of a drenched Kichu, his dad, and a teary-eyed kid version of herself. The way Kichu snickered as she was told off. In the right opposite corner was the place where her Ma kept her veena. She thrummed it as the sweet sound echoed in the house. Kichu was silently following her as she went through the house. She went into the small room which they kept as their mandir. That was the place where she started her first lesson of everything. Her dance lessons, music lessons, the first step of Kalaripayattu... She felt so numb. Finally, she reached her Ma's room. It still smelled of her, the bedspread and the sheets. She saw a small photo frame of herself and her Ma on the bedside table. It was the one taken on her school farewell, she was wearing a sari and her Ma was smiling proudly as she held her close. Rhea's eyes got welled up as remembered the day. After two and a half hour battle, her ma was finally able to drape the six-yard disaster as she called it. She complained and questioned both of their mothers how they wore it as a daily wear as Kichu laughed the memories made her laugh but it also stung deep down at her heart as she didn't have her Ma to relive the moment and laugh as they used to whenever something of the past showed up. She remembered her ma teasing her for the pond incident whenever they passed through the temple. Rhea let out a sob as she held hugged the photo closer to her chest. Kichu hugged her as she cried.

Rhea was able to collect herself after some time. She started to pack each and every object. She was still confused what to do with them. She finally decided that she would just pack them and then come another day to take them back to America.

That night Rhea tried once again to call her father still she couldn't reach him. She was growing restless. She was so angry at herself for being rude to him.

The next day Rhea and Kichu decided to go to the were strolling through the shore when she saw a weird tourist staring at them. "Kichu, isn't he too stiff for a tourist, a foreigner?" "Maybe he recognized you". "Then he wouldn't be stiff at all." " Let's get back home."

They reached home to find a teary-eyed Laxmi ,Kichu's mom. They saw the news was running. "Oh, Ri". She cried as she pulled her into a hug. "What happened?" She asked her. Just then she heard the reporter say "It was around 4 am IST Mr. Starks convoy was attacked and there is no sign of yet. It is feared that he has been kidnapped by the terrorist groups prevailing there. So far no known terrorist organizations have come forward taking the responsibility of the incident."

Rhea felt her world coming to an end. She just lost her mom, now her dad. She was not even sure whether he is dead or alive. She didn't want to be an orphan. She felt herself blacking out.

She woke up in a hospital bed. There were all tubes and ivy's around her. She saw Kichu dosing off in a chair nearby, his one hand was just away from her head. She knew he was simply running his hand through her hair, something he always did when she was sick and trying to sleep. She smiled. She tried to move it, but woke him up." Ri, you alright?"

" Yeah, what happened? " "You had an epileptic attack." "I know it is the first one, we got scared". You passed out for a day."

"Is it true? " "Yes". "I was so very cruel, why do I do this all the time? Last time I yelled at Ma, and four days later she was gone. Now I told him I didn't want him to be my father and I don't even know whether he is alive now or not. I don't deserve happiness."

"Shut it, Rhea, if anyone in this world deserves the happiness, that would be you. I have seen you cry in corners of school classrooms thinking he was dead and you never got to know him. I have heard you complaining to your Ma how selfish she was, that she got to know your dad but never made it a point to keep even a bit of the memory of him for you. I have seen you say to the stars your day, believing him to be gone. "

"I do that even now, only thing is that it is true now. Maybe Pepper... "How is she, Pepper." "She is really a strong is trying to put a brave face but deep inside she is hurting. He was an idiot. Even when he had the best in front of him he never asked her out." She sighed. "Somewhere she reminds me of Ma. Strong, level-headed". After a pause, he said"He is your father.I don't think that he will surrender to anyone without a fight."

Just then the door opened to reveal a uniform-clad police officer and a grim looking dirty blonde man. "Miss Stark, I am Mr. Alexander Jacob IPS, Commissioner of Police Kerala. This is Mr. Clint Barton."

"Who are you FBI or CIA? She asked him impassively."

"How did you find out I am one of them?" He asked amused.

"For a tourist, you were too stiff at the beach. If Commissioner here had to bring you in, it means you are one of them. Now, who is your boss?"

"SHIELD. We are far too secret that not every American Citizen knows about us like them."

"I know." Clint raised an eyebrow.

"May or may not have gone through Howard Stark's stuff."

"You have a future, kid. The reason why I came here is my boss, Director Nicholas J Fury believes that it may not be safe for you to travel alone to States all by yourself, so I am here to escort you to a safe house, from where you will travel to California."

"Is Miss Potts informed of this development?"

"Yes. Anyone else you want this to be conveyed to?"

"Colonel James Rhodes and no one else."

Meanwhile, SI office at Malibu.

"Miss Potts, you have to explain where Rhea is."

"She is still under recovery . I can't disclose her date of return and also her mode of transport as I have sworn secrecy to her."

"I am her closest guardian."

"Only after me and Colonel Rhodes". With that Pepper left Obadiah's office.

As soon as Pepper left his office, he turned to his phone.

"Finish off the girl, wherever she is."

A/N: mandir- a room or an area of the house where the morning and evening prayer is held with the main deity.