Author's Note: This chapter title comes from The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket.

Chapter Two - Are you ready? (no)

"How is she?"

Tony jumped and the alarm clock he was working on tumbled from his lap, smashing into the floor and scattering wires and screws and tools everywhere. Tony stared at it for a long time. Then he sighed and looked up. "I didn't hear you come in."

Steve glanced aside, face red. "Sorry. I— JARVIS said you were up here in the penthouse and I came to talk to you. And the, uh . . . ." He gestured to the door of Danielle's room. "The door was open."

"Right. Right." Tony knelt down and started picking up the scattered pieces, ignoring the twinge of pain in his side. "No problem. Did you need something?"

"I wanted to know how she was doing," Steve said, looking towards the bed.

Tony took a deep breath, dumping the alarm clock and its various parts in the trash. "She's alive. I called again today since she hasn't woken up yet and they just said I'll have to wait. That they have no idea what happened to her, so they can't, uh, can't predict when she'll be back." Tony ran a hand through his hair. "But she's healing up pretty well."

"And do you?"

Tony looked at him, frowning. Steve stumbled over himself to clarify. "Do you know what happened to her?"

Tony stared at him. Then he waved towards the other armchair. "Sit down." Once he had done so, Tony sighed. "Best as I can tell, she absorbed the Tesseract."

"Absorbed—" Steve frowned and his glance slide to the pale, small figure nestled in the bed. "That's impossible, right?"

"Apparently not. She's now showing positive on every single machine that searches for the Tesseract. I don't know how she absorbed it or . . . . I don't know."

"But she's alive."

"She's alive," Tony murmured.

Steve nodded. He took a long, deep breath. "Thank you for letting us all stay here."

"Hmm. Well, we're a team now. Sorry the Tower is still half destroyed."

"Tony."

Tony jumped, looking towards the door. "Holy shit. Do I need to remind you guys that I have a heart condition?"

Natasha just raised an eyebrow. "I'll stay with her. You need to go eat, which I'm sure you've not done for a full day. And you need to shower, which I'm sure you've not done for at least three days."

"Natasha—"

"Go." She crossed her arms. "If she wakes up, JARVIS will let you know immediately." Natasha stepped aside as Tony finally conceded and left the room. She glanced towards Steve and he hesitated, rising to his feet. "JARVIS said he hasn't slept."

That made Steve pause. "Tony? Hasn't slept since when?"

"Not since he crashed at the hospital. So about seventy-eight hours. Why don't you recruit Clint and make sure Tony gets sleep. Duct tape him to his bed if you need to."

"That seems . . . extreme."

She raised an eyebrow. "I've known Stark for a couple years now. Trust me, it's not extreme. And if you don't force him to sleep then he'll stay awake until Danielle wakes up, which could be weeks." When she saw he was still hesitant, she softened her stance. "We're a team now. And your teammate is suffering and needs some support, even if that support comes in the form of a forced nap time on the behalf of his captain."

At that, Steve straightened. Those were terms he knew, terms he was comfortable with: support, team, captain. He brushed past her and left the room. Natasha closed the door and bypassed both chairs in favor of sitting on the end of the bed. "JARVIS, vitals?"

"Steady. There is no obvious scientific reason at this point for why Danielle hasn't woken up."

Natasha frowned, dropping a hand on where Danielle's foot was underneath the blankets. She rubbed circles on the girl's ankle. "You've gotta wake up, Kroshka. Your old man is gonna go crazy. And if he goes crazy, he's gonna drive me crazy."

Danielle's entire body jolted. Natasha paused. "JARVIS?"

"Her heart rate is increasing. I believe she's having a bad dream."

Natasha moved forward and pressed the back of her hand against Danielle's head. She got a flinch in response and a pained groan parted Danielle's lips. "Hey, Kroshka," Natasha murmured. "Take a deep breath. It's all going to be—"

And then a scream ripped from Danielle's throat and blue flashed through the room. Natasha was thrown back into the wall and she gasped brokenly. When she opened her eyes, it was to darkness. "JARVIS!"

"A fluctuation of Tesseract energy. All lightbulbs in the room have been shattered. There was tremendous force against the windows as well, but they survived. I have contacted Sir."

Natasha dragged herself up and winced, back aching. She stepped cautiously towards the bed. "Okay, Kroshka." She kept her voice low and comforting, like she did with Clint when he was panicking. "Let's not do that again."

"Do . . . what again?" a voice croaked out.

Natasha straightened. "Danielle. Are you awake?"

"Nat, what's going—" She sucked in a loud breath. "I'm gonna throw up."

"Hold on." Natasha felt for the bowl under the nightstand and picked it up. "JARVIS, lift the dim on the windows about ten percent. We don't want to blind her."

"Of course."

The window tint faded just enough to let a little light filter into the room. Natasha pressed the bowl into Danielle's shaking, bandaged arms and supported her as she struggled to sit up. "How do you feel?"

Danielle's response was to heave into the bowl. Her shoulders shuddered and Natasha curled her nose a little at the smell. But she rubbed the girl's back. Finally, Danielle collapsed against the cushions and Natasha took the bowl from her. The redhead took the rag sitting on the nightstand and gently wiped Danielle's mouth for her. As she moved to the girl's private bathroom and started rinsing out the bowl, Danielle rasped out, "I don't remember eating anything orange."

"You've been on a feeding tube. I believe you had turkey, sweet potatoes, and peaches for lunch."

"Oh." Danielle's eyes were shuttering closed, but then she snapped them open again. Her struggle to stay awake was obvious. "Thanksgiving in a blender bag," she mumbled. "Great."

The door opened suddenly and Tony fumbled to catch it before it hit the wall. His hair was sopping wet and his shirt was both damp and put on backwards and inside out, a clear indication that JARIVS had alerted him while the man had been in the shower. Natasha returned the bowl to its spot under the night stand and calmly said, "She's up."

"Dani," Tony breathed. He stepped forward until he was standing beside the bed. "How do you feel, baby?"

Danielle's eyes were only half open. "Like shit," she croaked out. And then a moment later she managed, "Sorry. Language."

And just like that, Tony started laughing. A full laugh, his head thrown back and his eyes tearing up. "You're okay." He choked the two words out like they were something he'd been waiting to say all his life. "I— Do you need anything? More blankets? Music? I can get you some—"

"Tony," Natasha reprimanded softly. "I think what she really needs is some more sleep."

"But—"

"Tony." Natasha laid a hand on his arm and glanced towards the bed. Danielle's eyes were already closed again and she'd returned to slumber. "Let's give her some space. Why don't you go finish your shower?"

"But—"

"Tony. She's okay. And when she wakes up again, maybe you should try being properly dressed."

She spent seventeen minutes staring at the dark ceiling once she woke up. When she spoke, her dry lips cracked from disuse and she could taste iron. "JARVIS?" she whispered. "When is it?"

"May 8th, 2012. It is five fifteen in the morning. You have been unconscious for roughly three days, though you had about twelve minutes of consciousness on the 7th. You are in your room at the Tower in New York City."

She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. "Lights up, please."

"Of course, Danielle."

She could see the light through her eyelids. When she opened her eyes, she squinted against the brightness. She dragged her gaze across herself, taking in the bandages wrapped around her arms. "It wasn't a nightmare, was it?"

"I'm afraid not."

"What happened to the Tesseract?"

JARVIS didn't answer right away and it was a little hard for her to breathe because she remembered the burning in her hand and could feel the uncomfortable hum beneath her skin. Finally, he said, "You seem to have absorbed it."

Another shaky breath. "Okay. I'd like some food."

"Who would you like me to contact? You will need to put on a boot for your ankle in order to walk, and I believe it was stored in the closet upon your return from the hospital."

She frowned. "Oh. Is that why my leg feels like it's on fire?"

"You suffered a compound fracture during your encounter with Loki. As it seems your absorption of the Tesseract has accelerated your healing somewhat, the doctor assured your father that you can walk on it as long as you use a boot."

"Right. I have . . . options for who to ask for help?"

"The Avengers have moved into the Tower during your time away."

"The— Update, please." It was growing uncomfortable just lying in her bed, but not knowing what was going on was far more uncomfortable.

"Whereas the Avengers Initiative only previously consisted of your father, now he has been joined by several others: Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, Thor, and Steve Rogers."

She closed her eyes and wondered if the dream would be over when she opened them again. "Clint Barton?"

"An acquaintance of Agent Romanoff's, I believe."

"I thought Bruce Banner was missing. On behalf of that big green problem of his, right?"

"He seems to have returned," JARVIS said, sounding amused. "Thor is Loki's brother, though is arguably far friendlier. And yes, Steve Rogers."

She opened her eyes. "Can you let Dad know I'm up? But I'd prefer Nat's help. Um, I think I need a shower."

"Of course." JARVIS was quiet for a long moment. "Sir has promised to make pancakes. Agent Romanoff is on her way."

"Thank you." Danielle pushed herself up so that she was sitting. She dragged a hand across her mouth and wrinkled her nose at the dried drool there. "Ugh, gross." She stared down at the bandages around her arms. The bandages on her left arm stopped at her wrist, but the bandages on her right arm went almost all the way up to her shoulder. She threw her covers back and stared at her left foot where it was propped up on a pile of pillows and held gently in place by a soft ankle brace.

The door opened. "Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to wake up." Natasha closed the door behind her. "Shower?"

Danielle hesitated. "I, um—"

"You need a shower," Natasha said, staring her down. "And relax. We're both girls here." She waved a hand and turned towards the bathroom. "Let me get it running. Go ahead and drink some water."

Danielle looked to the side to find a water bottle waiting for her on her nightstand. She picked it up and fumbled with the cap for a moment, inhibited by the bandages around her fingers. Finally, she got it off and took a few sips. Not even wanting to try to screw the cap back on, she set both it and the bottle back on the nightstand.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

Natasha helped Danielle to the edge of the bed. Then she crouched a little and lifted the girl into her arms. She made a show of grunting with effort. "Someone needs to lay off the donuts."

"Hey," Danielle whined.

"Uh-huh. Alright, here you go." She sat her down on the bathroom counter and Danielle shifted to keep from falling. "Hold still," Natasha ordered, reaching around her to untie the strands to the hospital gown. "How are you feeling?"

"You remember that time you took me to New Zealand to keep me away from those threats Dad was getting?"

"Hmm."

"You remember how I caught the flu, strep throat, and meningitis all at once while we were there? It feels like that." Danielle shrugged her shoulders to help Natasha in taking off the hospital gown, though she couldn't find it in herself to be embarrassed about being naked. Natasha helped her in the the shower and sat her down on the stool. "Is everyone . . . staying here?"

Natasha squeezed shampoo into her hands and started lathering up Danielle's oily hair, not seeming to care that she was soaking her clothes by standing in the shower. "Tony renamed it Avengers Tower. We're a team, now, and a team needs a home base, right?" She adjusted the shower head. "Lean your head back."

"Can I take these bandages off?"

"Yes. I'll wrap them again when we're done if you need it."

Danielle fumbled with the end of the bandage around her left hand before finally managing to lift the end of the wrap. The bandages were damp and wanted to stick together, but she managed to wrestle them off. They fell away and revealed the red skin beneath. "Ouch," she mumbled. "Doesn't look too bad." Actually, it looked like a first-degree burn. Definitely not too bad at all.

While Natasha started soaping her down, Danielle peeled the bandages from her other arm. The burns were there too, but instead of just wrapping around her hand they had etched themselves all the way up past her bicep. She took a deep breath. "Do they make me look cool?" she asked weakly.

"Very badass," Natasha said, her voice as even as ever. She finished rinsing Danielle off. "I'll get you some clothes and your boot." The redhead turned off the shower and held out a towel. "Dry off but don't try to stand."

Danielle nodded obediently and did so. When Natasha returned, she strapped Danielle's foot into the boot and helped her into her underclothes, shirt, and skirt, since she couldn't pull jeans over the boot. Natasha helped her stand and walk to the counter. "How's that?"

"It hurts a bit, but I'll survive."

Natasha nodded and started combing through her hair before twisting it back in a braid. "Your father should have breakfast ready. Hungry?"

"Always." She hobbled after Natasha towards her bedroom door. She opened it and stepped out. Across the penthouse, she could hear her dad swear, followed by a clanging of what had to be pans. "Doesn't sound like the pancakes are going too well."

Natasha threw her a smile and gripped her elbow, leading her across the floor. They found themselves standing in the entryway to the kitchen, watching as Tony picked up the pots and pans all across the floor and dumped them in the sink while grumbling. Natasha cleared her throat. "I hope you made enough for me," she said.

Tony jerked, dropping the pan in his hands. He looked up. "Um, there should be." His gaze slid to Danielle and he straightened, brushing his hands off on his pants. "You're okay." And then in three swift steps, he was in front of her and dragged her into his arms. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Danielle shook her head and pressed into his hold. "Sorry for scaring you."

"I've done it to you enough," he mused. "It's about time you got me back for that."

She nodded, twisting her hands in his shirt. But then she pulled back and sniffed. "Is something burning?"

He stared down at her, brow marred with confusion. Then his eyes widened. "The pancakes!" He whipped around and tripped back over to the griddle.

Danielle giggled, though it felt weird with her raw throat. "They wouldn't be your pancakes if they weren't burnt, would they?"

"Hey! I've gotten better."

"Not really," she said, limping to the table. She sat down. "But I think I like them better this way."

"You're . . . Captain America."

Steve just blinked at her and then nervously rubbed the back of his neck while he threw a look at Tony. "Um, is she gonna stop? That's the fifth time she's said that."

Danielle cleared her throat. "Sorry, it's just." She squinted at him. "I thought you'd be taller. History made you sound taller." She leaned over to Natasha and loudly whispered, "Isn't he supposed to be taller?"

Natasha sighed. "You can stop picking on him, Kroshka. Why don't you meet the others? This is Thor."

"Ah, the Daughter of Iron!" Thor stepped forward, grinning widely. "You fought honorably and I speak for all of my Shield Brothers when I thank you for your bravery during the fight." And then he enveloped her in his arms and lifted her off of her feet.

She squeaked in surprise and kicked uselessly for a moment. "Nope!" she squealed. "Down. Down!"

Thor laughed heartily and set her back on her feet with surprising gentleness. "My apologies. And my apologies for the actions of my brother, as well. There is no excuse for the things he has done to your world, or the things he has done to you. I only hope that, with time, I can properly atone for his sins."

"Your . . . brother." Danielle frowned, rubbing her arm. "Loki, right?"

"Aye. He is responsible for the circumstances surrounding the Tesseract." His expression grew into something more serious and he reached out, putting a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Young one, could you tell me what happened to the Tesseract?"

"Whoa, whoa, big guy!" Someone slung an arm around Danielle's shoulders and hugged her against their side, shoving Thor's hand off. "Let's leave the big questions for the big kids, okay?" The man turned her and she found herself staring up at a grinning man, his face scuffed up badly and covered with Mickey Mouse bandaids. "Name's Clint. Tasha's talked a lot about you. Do you like M&Ms? I've got a five-pound bag in the kitchen pantry that's calling our names."

"She's healing," Natasha said reproachfully. "She shouldn't be ruining her fragile health with junk food."

"Fragile?" Danielle asked, turning a scrutinizing gaze to her. "You think I'm fragile, Nat?"

Natasha just smiled faintly. "I'm sorry? Oh, look, you haven't met Bruce yet. This is Bruce Banner."

Danielle lit up and, pulling away from Clint's side, she reached out a hand towards the scientist. "I love your papers," she breathe. "Amazing research."

Bruce blinked. "Oh, I— Thank you." He shook her hand cautiously. "That's flattering."

"Dad usually gets lost when I start talking about anything that isn't mechanics, but hopefully I can go over some of my ideas about biorhythm's role in the grafting of prosthetics to—"

Mjolnir hit the ground with a booming thump as Thor passed it off to Clint for him to try to hold. And then the windows shattered.

With a shriek, Danielle tumbled to the ground. She clawed at her chest. "I can't— I'm sorry, I— It won't—"

"Whoa, Kroshka." Natasha was the quickest to respond, dropping to her kneels to put herself on the girl's level. "Take a deep breath. It's not your fault. You just need to figure out how to control it."

Thor stepped forward, frowning. "Daughter of Iron, my apologies. I didn't realize—"

Her gaze jerked towards him in surprise and her eyes burned a sharp blue. And then Thor was flying backwards. His hand shot out for Mjolnir and he caught himself before he hit the wall.

Danielle fumbled through her apologies, curling in on herself and burying her burned hands into her hair. She shrank and shuddered and whimpered at the loud hum under her skin. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm—"

"Kroshka," Natasha said desperately. "I need you to listen to me—"

"Danielle," Bruce interrupted, lowering himself to the floor with a grunt. "What street did you grow up on?"

She looked up, face red and tear stained. "Wh-what?"

"What street did you grow up on?"

"Um, Malibu Colony Road." She wiped at her nose and the burning blue in her eyes flickered.

"What was the name of your first teacher?"

"Miss Schwartz. My kindergarten teacher. She thought I was stupid. I just thought she was being too slow with the material." She tucked her shaking hands behind her knees.

"What was the first invention that you ever made? I've heard there were a lot of those."

She stared at him for a long moment before managing a wet chuckle. "I installed a toaster in Dad's car so that every time he honked the horn it spat toast at him."

Bruce's lips twitched and he nodded. "Better?"

Danielle shuddered and looked out at the broken windows, listening to the wind whistling through. "I'm sorry."

"Better?" he asked again.

She swallowed and nodded. "How . . . how did you do that?"

"I have plenty of experience with having to control myself to keep from destroying things."