Chapter Forty Nine

"If anyone remembers my name If I'm ever known for anything, Let it be I ran into the night Running with a firelight, firelight Cause I don't wanna stroll the streets of gold, While there's still a soul to love Let me run into the night Running with a firelight, firelight, Burning with a firelight, firelight..." - Firelight, Matt Maher

It hadn't taken long for Ada to hack into Tony's files. The one thing he always seemed to forget was that she had as much experience as he did when it came to hacking. She used that to her advantage, and was able to find his location in a matter of minutes.

Skye was sitting beside her on a bench, watching in amazement as she typed a series of codes with ease. She'd long-since taught herself how to hack into just about any security system. Fury was the one who thought he could use her skills to his advantage, by creating a security system that others couldn't breach. He had agents design a program that was almost unhackable. Ada had gotten frustrated to the point where she nearly quit on them, until she found a back entrance into their security.

"I've hacked into my fair share of computers in the day, but you make this look easy," she remarked after Ada was able to figure out the coordinates to Tony's location.

She'd hacked into his suit. Jarvis would have likely alerted Tony that someone hacked into his system, but she had a tracer that made it impossible to figure out who was responsible. Though, something told her he would figure it out soon enough.

"It just takes practice," Ada explained with a shrug. Though, she knew from experience that it was more than that. She had to figure out how to protect herself from Tony when she was on SHIELD missions before he found out what she was up to. "Before he found out I was working for SHIELD, I had to make sure he couldn't trace my calls or figure out who I was keeping in touch with. Clint was my handler at the time, and he taught me how to block his security system."

Even Skye looked impressed with that explanation, "I didn't know he was that smart."

Ada couldn't hide the sheepish grin that followed. Something told her Clint wouldn't have appreciated her giving information on his intelligence. He was surprisingly intelligent, despite what everyone else thought of him. After all, he was the one who came up with most of his trick arrows after Jimmy stopped working in the tech department.

"I've got his coordinates," she announced when Coulson joined them moments later. He was hardly surprised she'd been able to find information within less than an hour. "It's off the coast on an oil rig."

"We've got bigger problems," Coulson informed her, the tone of his voice serious as he eyed her warily, "Killian's men managed to snag the President. They're going to perform a public execution if we don't get there in time."

Her heart nearly skipped a beat at the mention of the President. She'd known Killian was an asshole who would likely do whatever it took to catch the public's attention. If he got away with killing the President, it would end badly for the country.

"You know I have to go down there and help," she deadpanned as they headed for the main living area.

A television screen revealed what Coulson had already informed them of. A knot formed in the pit of her stomach as Ada watched the scene unfold before them. Most of the oil rig was already lit ablaze, with Extremis soldiers guarding the area heavily. Her fists clenched at the sight, and she was ready to say something else when she caught a suit flying across the screen.

Her eyes widened in disbelief when she recognized them as Iron Man suits. Dozens of them were flying around the oil rig, taking down any Extremis soldier that got in the way. The scene had quickly turned chaotic as the Extremis soldiers tried fighting back, only to be knocked out or killed in the process. Somehow, Ada wasn't surprised to find that Tony managed to use his suits against the Extremis soldiers.

"Are all those his?" Skye asked in disbelief.

She hadn't taken her eyes off the screen since they arrived. Not that Ada couldn't blame her.

"He has a little too much time on his hands," she muttered under her breath.

"It's going to take time for us to reach the rig," Coulson sighed after pinching the bridge of his nose. "Your father already has most of this taken care of."

Ada nearly rolled her eyes at that. She understood why Tony didn't want her anywhere near the worst of the fight. Yet, she was fully capable of defending herself down there. She could have easily helped them if he'd allowed it.

"I'm tired of him treating me like I'm a helpless kid," she complained when they reached what appeared to be a kitchen. Coulson didn't bother arguing with that notion as he offered something to eat. She hadn't realized until than how long it had been since she had a decent meal. "I have these powers for a reason, and I feel completely useless when I can't help anyone."

She let out a sigh of frustration as she studied her plate, suddenly aware that Tony did have his reasons for being so protective. The fact that he cared at all was something she had always appreciated. Yet, she also needed her space, and that was one of the many reasons she had joined SHIELD in the first place.

"I know it may seem like he's shutting you out, but this is his way of showing that he cares about you," Coulson tried reminding her with a small smile.

Ada looked at him in surprise.

She remembered Maria mentioning that Coulson was the one who convinced Tony to adopt her in the first place. Though he hadn't known at the time who Coulson was, or that SHIELD even existed, Tony hadn't questioned their motives at the time. Instead, he'd taken everyone by surprise by agreeing that she needed a home. For years, she had always wondered what convinced Tony to go to such lengths and adopt her. Now, she was beginning to understand his reasoning.

"You know, Maria told me that you're the one who convinced him to adopt me," she admitted, glancing at him self-consciously as he took a seat beside her. "She said that you were the one who looked after me when SHIELD found me, before I was sent to the orphanage."

Coulson's face faltered. For a moment, he looked white as a ghost as he studied her incredulously. She'd known for some time that he was the one who looked after her when she was just a baby. The moment she found out was when she realized why he'd cared so much about her. She had always seen Coulson as a father-figure whenever Tony was too busy or acting like… well, Tony. She couldn't shake off the feeling that was why she had been so shaken after finding out that he'd 'died' during the battle of Manhattan.

"You were just an infant when they found you," he explained with a heavy sigh. "I knew there was something special about you when you were first brought in… I never realized until looking into the Aliquid history just how special you are."

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed as she realized what he meant by that. She had a feeling that he had been hoping to keep all of that to himself. Though, the fact that Coulson had gone out of his way to make sure that she was safe meant more than she could ever admit out loud. Before Coulson could protest, she suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. He blinked a few times before returning the gesture.

"Thank you, for everything you've done," she whispered.

"Boss, we've arrived at the coordinates."

Ada blinked in surprise at the sound of Agent Melinda May's voice. She hadn't expected to hear that voice, or even meet the woman who was also known as the Calvary. She glanced at Coulson warily as they unraveled themselves.

"Go and get ready," he told her with a nod.

She simply returned the gesture and headed off to a room where she could change. The last time she'd changed was before the mansion had been destroyed, and that had been nearly three days ago. Her nose wrinkled at the thought. She was in desperate need of a shower, and a decent night's sleep. But, there was no rest of the wary.

…

The air was rancid with smoke, ash and the stench of burning flesh. Ada's eyes began watering a while as she struggled to breathe. Her throat burned from the acrid tang, and it took a few seconds for her to adjust to the smoke that filled the area. Parts of the rig were still on fire. She used her powers to quench the flames in the vain attempt to keep it from spreading. She hadn't missed the fact that there were bits and pieces of human flesh scattered along the rig.

At some point in her trip to the oil rig, she would have thought for sure she'd lose her dinner at the sight. She forced herself to look away, swallowing the vile rising in her throat. The people responsible for so much chaos hadn't deserved this kind of outcome. But, she knew it was the only way to handle such a situation. Tony hadn't had a choice in the matter. Things could have ended a lot more violently if he and Rhodey hadn't rescued the President in time.

A lump formed in the back of her throat as she thought of Pepper. She still didn't know what had happened to her. The last time she saw Pepper was when Killian had been showing off the fact that he used the Extremis drug on her. If anything happened to Pepper because of that drug, she would never forgive herself. She swallowed hard, hoping to push back the fear that began taking over. If she lost control now, it would end in disaster for anyone in the area.

Instead of dwelling on the thought, Ada sprinted towards the last known location of Tony. She wasn't sure if he would still be around, or if he'd left just before she arrived. Hell, she wasn't sure if Killian was still alive. There were a lot of unknown variables, and that left her mind churning with anxiety.

Finally, Ada was able to make out two figures looming in the distance. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she recognized both figures. Despite the smoke that made her eyes and lungs burn, she almost cried with joy after spotting Pepper standing with Tony. Yet, the moment she spotted them was when she stopped in her tracks.

They were holding each other in a warm embrace, and it looked as if they'd finally made up. Ada couldn't help but look away as guilt stabbed at her chest. She'd promised Tony that she would stay away. And, once again, she went behind his back and did the exact opposite.

For the first time since leaving the BUS, she was unsure of what to do or even say. The last thing Ada wanted was to intervene and ruin the moment. She was torn between leaving them for some much needed alone time, and wanting to rush over and give Pepper a warm hug of her own. Her phone suddenly went off, signaling that someone sent a text. Ada jumped at the noise, and heat rose to her cheeks out of sheer embarrassment when she looked at the sender.

'Merry Christmas — Steve.'

Ada's mouth fell open in disbelief as she read the message. It was the last thing she expected to see. She looked between her phone, Tony and Pepper before letting out a heavy sigh.

'Merry Christmas to you too, Steve,' she sent back.

"Ada?" Pepper's voice was enough for her to flinch.

Ada looked at them, suddenly feeling self-conscious when she felt Tony's gaze boring through her.

"I'm sorry… I just needed to make sure that you were okay, and I was on my way out…"

Ada chewed the bottom of her lip, already aware of how lame an excuse that was. Pepper didn't bother giving her a chance to continue making excuses. Instead of arguing with Tony, who was clearly ready to make some snide comment, Pepper rushed over and wrapped her arms around her in a much needed hug.

"I'm glad you're here, Ada," Pepper whispered.

She did look relieved, in more ways than one. Ada only stared at her in confusion after noticing that she wasn't heating up like the other Extremis soldiers. Though, she also wore an expression that said they had a lot of talking to do once this was over.

"That makes one of us," Tony complained after reaching them. "What part of stay out of this did you not understand?"

"The part where I'm not going to let you keep me from doing my job," she snapped, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Tony defiantly. "Look, I'm an Avenger and a SHIELD agent first and foremost. My job as an agent is to help people, and my job as an Avenger is to protect them. You can't keep me from doing that."

Tony's mouth fell open as he stared at her, too dumbstruck to formulate a proper retort. Even he couldn't argue with that logic, try as he might. She would keep going behind his back, whether he wanted her to or not. She wanted to help people, and more than anything, she wanted to make a difference in the world.

"She has a point," Pepper reminded him. Tony looked between the two of them, and for the first time, Ada thought she saw real fear within his eyes. Though he didn't show it often, she knew when he tried backpedaling to keep things from getting any worse. "She is old enough to take care of herself, Tony."

"I know," he sighed irritably after reaching the conclusion that there was no arguing with them. Ada knew she had him beat when Pepper joined in her defense. "That's what scares me."

She merely rose an eyebrow in surprise before giving a small shrug, "Dad, I'll always be your little girl, no matter how you see it," she reassured him with a faint smile, "Nothing is ever going to change that."

Tony just stuck his tongue out at her as if to prove a point, to which she returned the gesture with a scowl. She knew he could be immature at the worse times. Yet, Tony had a soft spot she doubted would ever fade.

"So, what now?" Pepper asked once that was done and over with.

"Jarvis?" Tony suddenly tapped on the communicator, knowing exactly what was needed at that point, "You know what to do?" Ada watched Tony in disbelief when he activated the one protocol she wasn't expecting. He hadn't been planning to destroy the Iron Man suits that he worked on throughout the last few months. But, cleaning out the inventory meant he could work on newer, better designs. "Merry Christmas."

He added the last part with a smug look as the suits began exploding midair. Ada watched the scene in amazement, realizing that from down on the rig, they looked more like fireworks exploding. Within a few seconds, the sky was set ablaze with suits exploding around them. She couldn't help but lean into Tony once she understood the double-meaning behind his words. His arm wrapped around Pepper after kissing her on the forehead, while he kept his other arm wrapped around Ada.

It may not have been the Christmas they were planning for, but, it was certainly better than she could have imagined. Spending time with family was one of the best gifts she could have asked for.

AN: I've been meaning to write out a scene where Coulson explains to Ada that he's the one who watched over her before signing her over to the adoption agency, but I never had the chance... I am planning on doing a series of one-shots, both short and long revolving around this story and what I left out. So, I may still write an entire short-story revolving around that conversation. Nonetheless, the next few chapters are going to be filler chapters before we get into the next part, which will be Thor: Dark World. I was debating whether I should leave that out or not, but I'm rolling with it anyways. It'll probably just take longer for me to post chapters, since I want to improve the quality of what was previously written. Thanks gothicpoet0615 for reviewing!