I just wanted to give fair warning/trigger warning for anyone who may be set off by violence/abuse/ assault/etc. I want everyone to be able to enjoy my writings, and I try to keep it to a minimum and not graphic, but I understand what it is like to be set off by even small pieces of writing after going through a traumatic event, and I want to be mindful that others are too, and it is totally okay. Starting at "My mind was racing too fast-" and just that whole paragraph. Thank you all so much for reading! I love reading your reviews and your support!

I walked from the Tower to the girls home, it took almost the whole day, I only stopped at public restrooms and to steal a water bottle and candy bar from a broken vending machine. The water was warm and the candy bar half melted, but at least it was something. I stared up at the front doors to the girls home, I wasn't sure what there was to say, I knew I wouldn't really be welcomed there, if I said that Tony had decided he wanted nothing to do with me, they would just send me to juvy. The more I stared at the big, brick, gloomy building the more courage I lost. I was finally free, why would I just turn myself back in? Where else would I go, though?

I couldn't do it. I didn't want to be sent away and really have my freedom taken away. I sucked in a breath and went to turn to blend back in with a crowd, when someone calling my name stopped me in my tracks. "Ruby! Hey, Ruby!" Her voice was high pitched, but it was rough.

I turned to see Twyla, her blonde curly hair normally bobbing all around her seemed flat, dirty. Her makeup, normally subtle, beautiful, was thick. Her clothes, torn and tattered. Two men followed closely behind her. "Twyla?"

She gave me a grin before wrinkling her nose, "Just call me T." She said, "What are you doing here? I heard you found a family, or your family or something. No one could get real specific, except for that ugly old Hartworth almost hauled you off to jail."

She used to be my best friend, we were bunk mates in the home, but she had run away with someone. Some boy she was head over heels for. They reported her missing, but there was never any real effort put into it when a foster teen ran away. "Yeah, it went kinda like that. Where have you been?"

She shrugged her shoulders and looked away. "I've just… been around." She said, choosing her words wisely. The men behind her shifting. "T, we should go." One of them said.

I looked her in the eyes. She seemed slightly uncomfortable. "We should really catch up, Tw- T." I grabbed her hand quickly, "I really missed you. I still miss you. We have so much we need to talk about."

She smiled her big smile and wrapped me in a hug. I couldn't help but notice the smell that radiated from her. As she let me go I looked down her arms and hands, and couldn't help but to notice the deep track marks in her arms. I almost said something, but she spoke first, "I can't wait to catch up with you." She smiled her big smile again, and then let me go.

As they began to walk away one of the men she was with stared at me for an extra second before walking with them, making me extremely uncomfortable. I wanted to yell after her, take her somewhere where she could get help, tell her I never wanted her to leave my side again, and that what she was doing was dangerous, but I feared of what the two men would do to her if she did decide to go with me. They looked at her like she was some piece of property.

I looked at the sun starting to set low in the sky, and my stomach growled from hunger. A feeling that wasn't foreign to me, but still sucked. I stepped into the waning crowd and followed it to a nearby park. By the time I got there the sun was gone, and the bright pastel colors were quickly fading. I was grateful it was summer, so although the night would be chilly, it wouldn't be freezing. I laid down on a park bench, the last time I had slept on one it was freezing, and I truly thought I was going to freeze to death. I pushed the memory of my previous foster families out of my head as I rolled onto my side. I looked up at the sky, the night had settled in, I could make out the moon, but the light pollution from the city made it impossible to see the stars. I wrapped my arms around myself as the chilly air nipped at my bare skin.

After some time exhaustion began to consume me and I managed to shut my eyes and fall asleep, but I suddenly felt watched. My eyes shot open, and I sat up and looked around, but I couldn't seem to find anyone who may be watching me. I took in a deep breath, "You're paranoid, Ruby." I muttered to myself as I rubbed my head and leaned back.

The bushes behind me rustled, and I jumped straight to my feet, spinning around. There, creeping in the darkness, lurked the man who had stared at me extra long while I was talking to Twyla. "Took me a while to find you." He said, his voice dark. His words slurred slightly as he talked.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, forcing my voice not to shake. "Why come and find me?"

"You don't have anywhere to go." He said, avoiding my question and stepping forward.

I stepped back in response to his stepping forward. "I have my family. My father." I said- I lied.

"No you don't, or you would be sleeping there, in your bed. Not on a park bench." The way his voice slid out, I knew I was in danger.

"We got into a fight, but I'm sure he's looking for me by now." Wishful thinking at best, there was no way he would come looking for me. "I wanted him to come looking for me, put him through hell like I've been through."

"You're lying." He called my bluff quickly, then took several more steps towards me.

I ran. He was bigger than me, and I was far from stupid. I clenched the mask in my pocket and ran as fast as I could out of the park, but he was fast too, and he was following me. I tried to lose him, I ran down back allies I knew let out and tried to shake him, but he stayed on me. There was no one around to scream at, to yell for help to, everyone who walked these streets now would be more likely to help him catch me.

My mind was racing too fast- I took a wrong turn that led me to a dead end. I turned to face him, trying to decide how to get back passed him because I knew I could never win a fight with him. As he stepped closer to me, every step a threat, like a predator sizing up his prey just before it attacked, I tried to get a grip on my brain. There was a metal trash can to my right, I grabbed it, pushing it towards him, as it knocked into him I went to run passed him, but he was faster, stronger. He grabbed me, his arm at my abdomen, shoving me over the trash can and my head slamming into the ground. The world spun as I scrambled to get to my feet. He raised his hand again, striking me in the side of my temple and I fell back onto the dirty alley floor. The world spun so fast, blood leaked onto the alley by my hands where I tried to push myself up. I touched my face, my nose was bleeding. I couldn't seem to get my eyes to focus. His foot against my ribs robbed the air from my lungs and sent pain shooting through me. I felt his hand on the back of my neck as he shoved me to the ground, flat. I managed to get myself rolled onto my back to try and fight him better, but he quickly and easily pinned me down after ramming his elbow into my face. Tears streaked my face along with blood.

"Doesn't look like daddy's here to save you." He said as his grip on my arms tightened. I struggled against him again- despite having little strength left I managed to fling him off me and halfway across the alley. As I focused my eyes I realized it hadn't been me.

"Tony, enough! Ruby!" Thor's voice was demanding as he approached. Tony had the man pinned to the wall, it looked like he was choking the life out of him. Thor gently took his shoulder, "I promise I will take care of him." His voice was quiet, but I still heard.

Tony cracked his head against the wall for good measure before letting Thor take over, then he was immediately at my side. I could barely focus my vision as the world spun all around us. "Easy Ruby, you're alright." He whispered as his mask folded in on itself revealing his face.

"You came for me." I choked out.

"I'm so sorry, Ruby." He said as he gently stroked the side of my face with his thumb.

"Tony, get her back to the Tower." Clints voice was sharp.

Tony picked me up gently in his arms, and I let myself relax into his arms. My body ached and was exhausted, and I no longer wished to fight. I felt us go into the air, so I decided it would be best to just shut my eyes so I didn't have a heart attack mid air. I slid my hand in my pocket, ensuring the mask was still there, still safely tucked into my pocket.

Once we landed at the Tower he took me straight to the infirmary where the doctors immediately took over, shoving him from the room despite my desperate pleas, not that it really mattered, because the pain that consumed my body combined with the sheer exhaustion that had been haunting me, had me falling into a black abyss mere minutes after he was gone from my line of sight.