Chapter Eighteen

"Come on, Lift your spirits and toast a cheers To all the good times throughout the years, And just remember it ain't where you're from It's where you're at, It ain't who you know It's who's got your back..." - Lift Your Spirits, Aloe Blacc

"You find anything interesting?"

Banner froze mid-step upon his return from the university. She couldn't hide the smirk that followed. She had been sitting perched on the bed with her notebook in hand, sifting through all the old notes and files that she was keeping dialogued on her dreams and nightmares.

"Everything's gone, all wiped clean," Banner explained after recovering from his initial surprise, "We should start moving again, tomorrow."

Ada tilted her head to one side, thinking back to how careful Banner had been about getting his hands on that data. She suspected it was more to protect his own ass from the government than let them get their hands on it. Whatever the case, at least the deed was done.

"Sounds like a plan," she replied.

"Get some rest. You'll need it," Banner warned her after climbing into the bed. He paused after mulling over something, "What were you and Stanley talking about?"

That caught Ada's attention. She chewed the bottom of her lip, suddenly aware that things could go horribly wrong if he found out the truth. She hated knowing that telling the truth would likely end with him kicking her out once this was all over.

"You heard that?" she asked warily.

"Kind of," he replied, glancing at her curiously.

She let out a sigh, looking away as she thought of everything that had happened.

"Most people have learned by now that I'm Tony Stark's adopted daughter," she explained, fully aware of the look he was giving her. If he was surprised with that revelation, he gave no indication, "But, on my birthday, things went… bad."

Looking back at it, she realized that she could have hurt those people in the grandstands. Worst still, she could have caused even worse damage. The thought of causing such damage sent a shudder through her.

Memories of the first 'unofficial' mission she went on suddenly came rushing back. Civilians hadn't been hurt during the mission, but buildings had been destroyed during a firefight. She knew from experience that damaging buildings was the worst thing she could do with her powers.

"I used my powers in the public when he was attacked by some jackass who tried to kill him," she went on, swallowing hard as a lump formed in the back of her throat. "After that, I panicked and ran; I couldn't exactly face him after that."

By now, she was fighting back the tears that were threatening to overwhelm her. She had abandoned them after all. They probably all knew that something was wrong. The guy that had attacked Tony was likely already captured and arrested.

"Ada…" Banner's voice was barely a whisper when he realized what was on her mind. It took him a few seconds to gather the courage and say the right thing, especially when he knew from experience what she was going through, "Ada, I know what you're thinking. Compared to me, you're not a monster."

He held out a hand and held on to hers. For the first time, she realized that he was trying to be gentle. And to her relief, it was working. She spotted the heart monitor he had purchased before returning to the building. Memories of that night in Ecuador suddenly came rushing back.

"Neither are you, Bruce," she suddenly pointed out. The look of surprise that followed was priceless. Confusion was written across his face until he realized what she was implying, "No matter what you say, or what they say about you, you are not a monster." She paused to let this sink in, knowing that he needed to hear something like this, "You… the 'Other Guy', could have just as easily killed me. But, he didn't." For once, Banner was taken aback when he realized she was right. "Speaking of 'Other Guy', I think he needs a name."

She hadn't missed the fact that he actually smiled. Considering the week he'd been having, she was relieved to see that he still smiled at all.

At least I'm making someone feel a little better, she thought.

"So, what exactly did you have in mind?" he asked curiously.

After everything they had been through, a sudden change in subject was desperately needed. Ada knew that Banner could use more than just an uplifting moment. He needed a friend. Someone who was willing to offer that kind of help.

"How about the Hulk?" she suggested.

Banner lifted an eyebrow in surprise. He seemed to contemplate over that, for a few seconds. In those few seconds, the smile became more apparent as he repeated the name in the back of his head.

"Alright. The Hulk it is," he nodded in agreement before moving to flip the switch. Ada had almost forgotten until then that it was off, "We should get moving, again."

"What's wrong?" she asked after reaching for her duffel bag and tied her hair into a messy ponytail.

She already suspected Banner had run into someone while at the university. Knowing that much, he not only put his life on the line, but anyone else with connections would get caught in the crossfire. The last thing she wanted was someone like Stanley or anyone else involved getting hurt because of the military's selfishness.

"I might have run into someone while I was at the university," he explained as they left the room.

They headed down the stairs as quickly and quietly as they could. She had been hoping to thank Stanley for helping them out. But, she doubted that was going to happen if they were in such a hurry to leave. He really did seem like a caring gentleman, especially after the advice he'd offered her.

The problem was, she hadn't missed that something was off when they reached the bottom of the stairs. Ada peered around the corner of the room nervously. A woman around Banner's age was talking quietly with Stanley. Beside her was a man who looked around the same age, one that she could only assume was the shrink Stanley had mentioned, earlier.

She glanced at Banner, not missing the look of worry flashing across his eyes. He didn't bother going down to meet with Stanley. Instead, he led the way to the backdoor. Ada flinched when she caught the look Stanley was giving her. The woman didn't seem to notice, though, and asked him a question.

She never had the chance to see Ada as she slipped quietly out of the window. Ada hardly noticed that Banner had gone ahead, leaving her behind in the process.

"Ada, remember how you mentioned that you'd take whatever punishment Fury decided to unleash?" Ada froze at the sound of Clint's voice through her earpiece.

She'd nearly forgotten that she still had it on.

"This isn't exactly a good time for that," she muttered, stiffening when she heard the sound of footsteps shuffling in the background, followed by a huff of annoyance. She recognized that sound anywhere, and had to bite back a groan of annoyance, "Hey, boss. You know, you might wanna get your lungs checked if you keep huffing and puffing like that."

"You mind telling me why you're back in the states?" She nearly rolled her eyes at the sound of Fury's voice booming in the background.

So much for keeping him out of the loop. She knew he would have found out sooner or later that Clint took one of the helicopters for a joy ride. She just hoped he would wait long enough for her to help Banner resolve his issues at hand.

"It's kind of a long story," she reluctantly admitted.

"Well, you can talk about it over breakfast."

Ada didn't need to ask what he meant by that. Her eyes narrowed as a helicopter came into view. The only thing she could do was hope that Banner didn't see this as a form of betrayal. He was already suspicious enough as it was. The last thing she wanted was to make things worse, between them.

…

Fury was waiting for her when the helicopter reached its destination. The flight itself had lasted for what felt like hours. If this was some form of punishment, Ada was thankful Banner hadn't been around to see it. Fury himself stood in front of a building she wasn't expecting to see him at.

"What's going on? What am I doing here?" she demanded after climbing out of the helicopter.

The mansion looked as if it had taken a heavy blow from a hurricane. Ada narrowed her eyes, wondering just what Tony had done to the place. If this wasn't Tony's doing, and the asshole that had tried killing him, he was going to pay.

"Your father has been going through some… difficult times," Fury informed her with a roll of his eye, "I thought that seeing you might change his attitude."

Ada bit the bottom of her lip as doubt clouded her thoughts. She couldn't shake off the guilt that swept through her, especially as she remembered the reason behind running away. She remembered seeing the tattoos along his neck, and wondered if that had anything to do with his reckless behavior recently. Pepper just assumed that he was going through a midlife crisis, but it could be something much worse.

Fury carefully led the way inside. Broken glass was scattered everywhere. Ada could see where there had been a huge fight, between Tony and whoever attacked the mansion. She kept fiddling her fingers together as she tried going over the worst-case scenarios revolving around how she would explain herself.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat upon seeing Tony himself slouching on a counter. Coulson was there as well, looking more annoyed than anything else as he talked with him. The agent in question looked in Ada's direction, hardly looking surprised with her sudden arrival. If anything, he looked more relieved than anything else. Coulson finally tapped on Tony's shoulder, causing him to stiffen in surprise until looking up.

"Ada…"

While his voice was barely a whisper, Ada didn't miss the relief within it. Though, she hadn't missed the guilt written across his face, along with what she could only assume was regret.

"Hey, dad," she finally answered, still feeling unsure of what to say.

It had been weeks since she last saw him. Knowing that much, she had no idea of how to act after everything that happened. She couldn't shake off the worry that clouded her thoughts. All that kept running through her mind was the guilt she felt for not telling him, sooner.

She barely had time to react when Tony suddenly closed the distance between them. Ada found herself melting into his warm embrace seconds later when he wrapped his arms around her. Neither Fury nor Coulson said a word or moved to interfere.

She couldn't hide the sigh of relief that followed, even if she wanted to. Ada buried her face into his shoulder, aware of the time that seemed to slow down in that moment.

"Ada… God, I thought I'd lost you," she heard Tony whisper as he held her even tighter.

Guilt stabbed at her heart when she realized what a mess he was. What a mess this whole place was. It didn't look as if he'd had a decent shower in weeks. Grease stained his clothes, and she could tell he wasn't getting decent sleep.

Not for the first time, she thought back to the black veins that had appeared along his neck. It was clear that whatever anomaly Natalie had been talking about took a toll on him. And Ada had a feeling that it was only going to get worse if it wasn't treated sooner rather than later.

"You're not angry with me?" she asked, feeling wary when she felt him flinch.

"Why would I be angry with you?" Tony stared at her in confusion.

She glanced in Fury's direction, relieved to see that both he and Coulson were giving them the space and time they needed to catch up. Sucking in a breath, Ada knew for a fact that if she didn't get this off her chest, now she would regret it later.

"Remember that day on the race track?" she asked hesitantly when they moved to the couch. At Tony's nod, Ada swallowed hard and tried explaining it best as she could, "According to the files that SHIELD has on me, I am able to control both fire and water at will… and possibly, even more elements."

She paused, letting this information sink in. Tony's eyes narrowed at the mention of SHIELD. He hadn't said anything in regards of her knowing Fury or Coulson. But, she could already see the accusation forming in his eyes when realization dawned on him.

"Wait a minute, how do you know so much about SHIELD, and how do you know about Fury?" he demanded, asking the question she dreaded to answer.

Once again, a lump formed in the back of Ada's throat. She looked down as guilt stabbed at her heart. She hated lying to him, as easy as it could be. After all, Tony had adopted her when he could have easily turned them down.

"It's kind of a long story," she murmured, refusing to make eye contact when Tony's face softened only a little. "I've been having these nightmares, since I developed my first power… about people who are like me." For a moment, Tony's mouth hung open as he realized the reasons why she hadn't been getting enough sleep. He was ready to say something when he seemed to think better of it, "But, they were hunted down in my dreams, because of their gifts." A shiver ran through her as she pictured the woman, protecting the baby and sacrificing herself, "The last one to survive was a woman, who had a baby with her. She… she sacrificed herself to save the baby, by sending it away. But, I'm not sure where."

Shock was written across Tony's face when he finally understood what sort of hell she had been through. She managed to keep things quiet after all these years, but mostly because she knew that he would question where she came from, and what she was. She knew what he was thinking, and the thought was enough for her stomach to twist.

"So, you're telling me that the woman you saw in your dreams, she was… your mother?"

While it came out as a question, Ada hadn't missed the skepticism in Tony's voice.

"I can't help but feel as if we're connected, somehow," she nodded in agreement, chewing the bottom of her lip as she refused to make eye contact, once again.

A few seconds of awkward silence filled the room as Tony tried mulling his mind over the endless possibilities. The silence was almost deafening, as far as Ada was concerned. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering if this whole venture back home had been worth the risk.

"Is that why you ran away?" he finally asked, catching Ada by surprise, "Because you're afraid of your past?"

She flinched at the accusation in his voice. Of course, she was afraid. But, not for what he believed.

"Actually… I'm afraid that you would never accept me," she admitted, feeling her voice crack a little as she finally looked at him.

For once, Tony didn't know what to say as he realized just how terrified she was. Not just of his lack of acceptance, but, of the nightmares she'd been suffering from. Between that and everything else, the guilt from earlier returned at full force as Tony moved to wrap his arms around her in another hug.

"I could never do that to you, Ada," he whispered as she buried her face into his shoulder once more, "I'm not like my father. I love you, more than anything."

It took a few seconds for those words to sink in. Tears blurred the edge of Ada's vision as she understood the gravity of his response. Even she knew that he wasn't the type of person to say something like that out loud. Not without being forced into it. To hear him admit that out loud meant more to her than she would ever let on.

"I love you too, dad," she whispered back.

She was ready to say something else when Coulson chose that moment to step in and ruin the moment. Tony narrowed his eyes as Coulson reached the couch, crossing his arms as he studied the pair warily. It was clear he had been waiting for the right opportunity to step back in, giving them more than enough time to talk and figure out what to do from there.

A few other agents were moving around the building, dragging in what looked like heavy boxes. Tony let out a sigh of frustration when Coulson pulled him aside to talk with him. Ada was suddenly aware of the high tension between the two. After spending more than a few hours with Coulson, she knew that he was fairly easygoing compared to Fury and a few other agents. Which led her to wondering what was going on between them.

"Agent Romanoff will continue acting as a liaison while you're working on this project," Fury informed them after arriving moments later. Ada rose an eyebrow at the mention of Romanoff. She doubted that was a task the redhead looked forward to, "Coulson will remain here to make sure you finish the job."

"What's going on?" Ada demanded when she realized they were leaving her in the dark.

"Too much toxin from the Arch Reactor in his chest," Coulson explained while maintaining a straight face when Tony shot him a scowl, "That much toxin could have killed you."

Ada felt her blood run cold as realization dawned on her, "You were dying?" she shouted, eyes narrowing with fury as she looked at Tony, "You were freaking dying, and you didn't have the nerve to tell anyone?"

Both Fury and Coulson rose eyebrows at her sudden temper. Tony just shrugged it off as if he'd expected that kind of outburst. Honestly, after putting up with Pepper for so long, he'd gotten used to it.

"Some things are better off left unsaid," he brushed it off.

"Does Pepper know about this?" she demanded, ignoring the fact that Tony had tried comforting her, again. Tony's head hung for a moment, and she hadn't missed the guilt written across his face, "She has a right to know! She could be—"

"Miss Stark, you really should get going," Coulson cut her off before she could continue ranting.

She was ready to make a retort when she thought better of it. Ada knew that if she said something out of line, it would surely get her into further trouble than she already was. Instead, her jaw tightened and she only glared back.

"Wait, where is she going?" Tony asked, looking thoroughly confused and annoyed that she was going away, again.

"She'll be fine, Stark," Fury assured him, "Your daughter is more than capable of defending herself in a firefight."

Tony just looked at Ada for a few seconds before pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. Not that Ada couldn't blame him. She understood that she was keeping a secret from him, one that was potentially dangerous for everyone she was close to.

Maybe she would tell him about joining SHIELD once this was all over. After all, he had every right to know the truth. Right now, though it was obvious that he had work to do. She wasn't going to try and get in the way of whatever needed to be finished.

Once they left the building after everything was settled, Ada thought back to the obvious tension between Tony and Coulson. She highly doubted the two of them would last long working together. Tony didn't do well with anyone who had authority over him. Especially when that someone was Coulson.

Fury led the way to a car where an annoyed looking Clint was waiting for them. Ada rose an eyebrow at the sight, having guessed that the archer was already reamed out for stirring trouble in the first place. With his arms crossed as he leaned against the car, she doubted she would hear the end of this once it was over.

"You two have a mission to complete," Fury informed them, "Find Banner, and bring him back. We need to have a little face-to-face chat."

Ada held back her own sigh of frustration, knowing full-well that convincing Banner to join them was next to impossible. He had enough problems as it was to deal with. Just the idea of having to work with SHIELD and the government was enough for her to know that wouldn't end well.