Chapter 7

After lunch, Tony called Luna to come into his office and he smiled at her. "I believe we might have found Venus," he said. "There's an animal show that just acquired a lion and they are showing her off tonight."

The girl felt hope fill her before she looked worried. "But...the animal show owners might not be so willing to part with Venus as Kraven wasn't willing to part with Cleo," she said.

"True, but if they hear they were sold a stolen animal, they will most likely settle the matter then and there rather than have a lawsuit brought against them," the businessman said. "I have my lawyers ready to bring the lawsuit forward if the owners refuse to give Venus to us."

Luna looked at him. "Do you really think that'll work?" She asked.

"Yes, but here's the tricky part. We need to get into the place that has the animal show and it's a black-tie event," he said.

"In other words, only those on the guest list go in," she said.

Tony had to give the kid credit for catching on so fast. "Right," he said. "So unless an invitation comes through, we're a bit stuck."

Luna looked at him. "And the Avengers can't go in without proof, can they?" She asked.

"That and the one hosting the party is the mayor," Tony said. "So it's a real pickle."

The girl was upset, but understood. "So what do we do?" She asked. "Sneaking in won't work with security guards around."

"True, not even with Vision's phasing abilities," the businessman said with a nod.

"Excuse me, Mr. Stark?" A familiar voice came.

"Yes, J.A.R.V.I.S.?" Tony asked.

"An important invitation has arrived for you, sir."

A slot open in Tony's desk and the invitation popped out of it. Taking it, he took a look and he smiled. "Well, well, we just caught a lucky break," he said, holding up the invitation. "I've just been invited to this black-tie event and I can bring two guests."

"Two guests?" Luna asked in surprise.

"Yes," Tony said with a smile. "Carol and you."

The twelve-year-old looked surprised, but then sobered. "But Tony, I don't have anything fancy to wear," she said. "And black-tie events are very fancy."

"True," he said with a nod. "But I bet we can figure something out."

"If I may," came Black Panther's voice and they turned to see him at the door.

"Come in, Panther," Tony said with a smile.

The black-suited hero came in, carrying a large white box and setting it on the desk. "I was originally going to save this for when the adoption papers went through, but under the circumstances, I believe this might help you blend in at the event, Luna," he said.

She looked at the box and looked back at him. "What is it?" She asked, her voice having a curious, but unsure, note.

"Open it and see," Black Panther encouraged her.

Biting her lip, Luna carefully opened the box, her eyes widening as she gasped at what she saw. Carefully, she reached in and picked up a dress that was black with white and gold accents. A pair of gold flats nestled in the tissue paper underneath the dress. "It's beautiful," she said in awe.

Tony whistled. "Now that will definitely help you blend in for this mission," he said.

Luna turned to Black Panther and hugged him, feeling a bit overwhelmed, but happy that they had a chance to see if Venus was with the animal show. "Thank you," she said softly, tears in her eyes.

He hugged her back. "You're welcome, Luna," he said, a smile in his voice.

Luna looked at Tony. "When's the event?" She asked.

He looked at the invitation. "It's tonight," he said. "At 6 o'clock."

She blinked. "He's not wasting time, is he?" She asked, sounding skeptical. "J.A.R.V.I.S., can you find out when the invitation was made? Like what day and time?"

"Yes," the AI said as it scanned the invitation, completing the analysis in less than a minute. "The invitation was made just this morning."

"Hmm, that does seem to be a short amount of time," Tony said. "Not much time to RSVP."

Luna looked thoughtful. "He wants to impress someone," she said before looking down. "My former foster father once did that as he wanted to sell some men a cheap product at a high price and he pulled out all the stops to make it appear genuine."

"What happened?" Black Panther asked.

"They told him they had other plans and couldn't come. He was asking them to cancel their plans and come to his party immediately, not giving them time to clear their calendars or to RSVP, which is proper when you want to have some important people attend a party."

"Perhaps they sensed he was about to try and sell them a bad product," Tony said with a nod. "It is a little odd, but it could be that he had everything all planned out ahead of time and did a rush job on the invitations."

"Nevertheless, if Venus is at that animal show, this is our only shot to get her out," Black Panther said.

Luna nodded before looking at him. "Do you think I can do this?" She asked. "I've never really been to a fancy party before."

"Don't worry," Tony said reassuringly. "Just stick with me or Carol. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

She nodded before looking curious. "Who's Carol?" She asked curiously.

"My name," came Miss Marvel's voice as she entered, smiling. "What's going on?"

Tony showed her the invite and she nodded. "It's been a bit since I dressed up," she said. "But alright. And I really hope the matter can be settled swiftly without drawing a lot of attention."

"Believe me, Carol, I hope that too," Tony said.

Luna took the box that contained her dress and shoes. "Well, if we only have a few hours before the event, I better start getting ready," she said.

She headed to her room and looked at herself in the mirror before getting an idea and going to Wasp's room, knocking gently on the door. Wasp answered and smiled. "Hey, sweetie," she said, holding her arms out for a hug, which Luna gladly gave her. "Everything okay?"

"Acutally, I was hoping you could help me, Aunt Wasp," the twelve-year-old girl said. "Tony got invited to a black-tie event and it's going to have an animal show, one that recently acquired a lion. We're hoping it might be Venus."

Wasp nodded. "Hopefully it is," she said. "How can I help you?"

"Well...I've never dressed up before for a party and Black Panther got me a dress and shoes, but I don't know what style to do for my hair and would you by chance have a pair or black tights I can borrow?"

The heroine grinned. "Let me grab some stuff and I'll meet you in your room."

Fifteen minutes later, Luna was standing in front of the mirror, wearing the lovely dress that felt like silk and the tights that Wasp let her borrow blended in nicely. She put on her slippers for now as there was still a bit of time before the party. "Okay, let's see," Wasp said, thinking. "We should do a style that's cute, but makes you look mature."

"What do you think would be best?" Luna asked.

"Well, we can pull back part of your hair and do a fancy barrette in the back and let the rest of your hair flow down or a French braid."

The girl nodded. "I think French braid might be best," she said.

Wasp nodded. "I think so too."

Moments later, Luna's dark red hair was pulled back into a French braid and Wasp smiled before pulling something out from a bag she had. "I saw this the other day and thought of you," she said, handing Luna a small white box.

Carefully opening it, the girl gasped at seeing a beautiful gold dolphin pendant on a gold chain. She looked at her aunt. "How did you know I loved dolphins too?" She asked.

Wasp winked. "I saw you reading a book about them one day and you seemed really engrossed into it," she said.

Luna hugged her. "Thank you," she said gratefully.

"You're welcome. Oh, and these earrings go with it too."

A set of gold dolphin earrings were in another box and Wasp helped Luna put them and the necklace on before stepping back and smiling. "Tony better keep you close because the guys' jaws are going to drop," she said teasingly.

The twelve-year-old girl laughed. "Don't worry, I'll be sticking with Tony and Carol tonight," she said.

"Good," Wasp said before noticing the time. "Oh, better grab some dinner. There's two hours before the event."

Luna put on her gold flats and walked carefully down the hallway, turning to look at Wasp. "How do I look?" She asked.

Wasp smiled. "Like a princess," she said. "You know, you'll essentially be royalty when Black Panther adopts you. He is of royal blood himself."

The girl blinked. "For real?" She asked.

"Yes," came Black Panther's voice as he chuckled. "It is true and you do look lovely, Luna."

"Thanks," she said before sighing. "I just hope I don't mess up."

"You'll be fine," the black-suited hero said reassuringly.

After a good dinner, they were on their way. Tony was wearing a tuxedo and Carol was wearing a floor-length red dress that shimmered when she moved with red flats. A black feather mask was around her eyes to help hide her black eye mask and her hair was pulled back into a perfect bun. When she stepped out of the limo, cameras started snapping, but she ignored them as she held out a hand to Luna, who took it and stepped out, looking a bit nervous with all the cameras. Tony stepped out of the limo behind her, moving to block the girl from the cameras, ignoring the questions that were being shouted as he and Carol walked up to the door with the twelve-year-old girl between them. Luna gave them grateful looks as they made it to the door.

"Name?" The doorman asked.

"Tony Stark," Tony introduced, holding up his invitation. "And my two guests, Miss Carol and Miss Luna."

The doorman nodded and allowed them to enter. Once inside, Luna let out a breath of relief. Carol smiled gently. "I know," she said gently. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."

The grand hall of the building the mayor had rented was very grand and Luna spotted a sign showing where the animal show would be. She took Tony's hand and he looked down at her. "Look," she said softly, gesturing with her head to the sign.

He nodded and looked at Carol, who nodded and the three made their way to where the sign was. A footman was there and he looked at them. "Forgive us, my niece is very fond of animals and was hoping for a sneak peak," Tony said smoothly.

"But the show does not start for another hour, sir," the footman said.

"We understand. It's just that we've heard that so many wonderful animals were going to be here," Carol said sweetly.

Luna quietly took a deep breath and looked up at the footman. "Please?" She asked sweetly.

The footman looked at her and looked around. "Alright," he said, allowing them in. "If anyone asks, I can say you wanted to get good seats for the show."

"Thank you, my good man," Tony said, slipping him a tip for his kindness.

They walked down the hallway and Luna stopped suddenly, softly gasping. "I hear her," she whispered. "She's here."

The three quickly moved to where the animal show was and sure enough, the first cage contained a lion and it didn't look to be in good shape. A keeper was beside it and she looked distraught. "We can't show her tonight," she said to a man beside her.

"But we promised a lion," the man said.

"Excuse me, folks," Tony said, getting their attention. "I was hoping to speak to the owner of the animal show."

"That is I, Mr. Stark," the man said. "Thomas Goodling. How can I help you?"

"Forgive me, but I have reason to believe you may have bought a stolen lion," the businessman said.

Mr. Goodling froze. "Bought a stolen lion?" He asked in shock. "That is a grave accusation."

"I'm sure you were unaware it was stolen when you bought it," Tony said smoothly. "My niece is the rightful owner of this lion and it was stolen from her sometime back."

The man looked at the girl. "Is this true?" He asked her.

"Yes, sir," Luna said. "Please, can you tell me who you bought her from? I might know who sold her to you."

Mr. Goodling nodded. "Someone named David. He wouldn't give his last name."

The girl froze at that. "My former foster father," she said. "So he's the one that stole Cleo and Venus."

The lion perked up at hearing the last name and the lady keeper gasped, making them look at her. "I think...she just reacted to the child speaking her name," she said.

Luna moved closer to the cage. "Venus?" She asked.

The lion looked at her and began purring. The lady keeper placed a bit of meat in front of the lion, who ate it. "She's eating," she said. "She wouldn't do that for a while."

Mr. Goodling looked nervous. "It seems this lion truly is yours, child," he said.

Tony felt some diplomacy was required. "Perhaps I can reimburse you for what you paid for Venus," he said. "I guarantee you it'll cost less than a lawsuit."

"Yes, you're right," the man said. "Well, to be honest, her selling price was rather low. The man only asked four grand for her."

"Four thousand dollars?" Carol asked. "Wonder why he put it so low?"

"Probably to keep from attracting too much attention," Luna said.

"She's right," Tony said.

Mr. Goodling agreed to Tony's offer of reimbursement. "And for what it's worth, I truly am sorry," the man said. "I had no idea she was stolen. If I had known, I would have sought her true owners out immediately."

Luna smiled at him. "I forgive you," she said graciously.

"I knew it."

At the voice, Luna gasped and turned quickly to find the very man she didn't want to see standing by Venus' cage. "If you had an inkling Venus was here, you'd come," he said.

"David, I presume?" Carol asked as Luna backed up to Tony, who placed a hand on her shoulder protectively.

"The same," he said with a smug look. "Luna, I pose a challenge for you."

She glared at him. "Forget it," she said. "You'll never win. We're taking Venus and leaving."

David was about to reach for a gun when Carol grabbed him. "Don't even think about it," she said, throwing him to the side where he hit the floor, the impact knocking him unconscious.

It was only a matter of minutes to get Venus loaded up into a van and delivered to Stark Tower and while Tony and Miss Marvel worked to help the lioness to recover from not eating and a mild case of dehydration, Luna stayed beside her, not budging from her cat friend's side. "Venus," she said softly, petting her. Venus purred affectionately, nuzzling the girl's hand.

Tony came up to her and gently picked Luna up, seeing the girl was still a bit in shock over what had happened. "She'll be okay, Luna," he said soothingly as he carried her out of the med bay with Miss Marvel following. Both went into Luna's room and sat on the bed as the girl just clung to Tony, tears in her eyes. Black Panther walked in and he looked at them before going up to Luna and kneeling in front of her.

"Luna, I'll watch over Venus," he said.

Luna didn't respond to him and Carol nodded. "She's still in shock," she said.

Nodding, the black-suited hero left and Tony, Carol, and Luna didn't sleep that night as the girl was still in a catatonic state, though the two knew she heard their words of comfort as they both held her, trying to reassure her that she was safe and that Cleo and Venus were safe too.

It was soon morning and Black Panther came in with Venus beside him, who had recovered quickly. The lioness gave a friendly growl and it seemed to wake Luna from her trance. "Venus?" She asked.

Cleo, who had been down the hallway, let out a welcoming roar and bounded into the room, recognizing Venus and the two cats purred happily at each other before going up to Luna, who cried as she hugged them both.

Tony and Carol smiled before seeing that Luna looked really tired. "How about you get some sleep, Luna?" Carol said gently.

Her words seemed to take immediate effect and the twelve-year-old fell sound asleep with Venus and Cleo curled up around her, the two cats seeming to not only form a bed for the girl, but also a protective circle. Tony smiled at this and they went to leave before hearing Luna speak.

"Thank you, Tony. Thank you, Carol. Thank you...Dad."

The three looked at each other and Tony and Carol smiled at Black Panther, who smiled as he looked at Luna. "Sweet dreams, my daughter," he said softly before they left.

Tony looked at Black Panther. "We ran into her former foster father last night," he said.

"He was the one that sold Venus to the animal show owner," Carol said.

Hearing that, the black-suited hero grew furious and his claws unsheathed. "I'll settle this once and for all," he said. "For Luna's sake, I swear I will."

Tony and Carol looked at each other, knowing their friend meant business and that David was going to learn what happened when one of Black Panther's own was threatened.

Get ready! It's about to get crazy. :)

Please leave a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418