Pepper helped me into the dress, she helped me with my hair and makeup, she found me shoes, but the emerald green high tops I found could not be beat, and black satin gloves with tiny crystals lining the edge. I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked absolutely stunning. Every part of me looked perfect.
"You look beautiful, Rubes." My dad's voice from the doorway caught me off guard.
I continued to stare forward, not even acknowledging him. I brushed my hair back out of my eyes, trying to forget our earlier fight. It was the same fight we had already had several times in the last week. Him being Ironman, me being an avenger, us leaving. I knew that the old woman I bought my dress from could see things just like I could feel things, and I know she somehow tried to show me what she saw, and I know what I saw. I was going to be an Avenger. I would fight next to him. He couldn't give up.I would fight him until he saw it my way.
"Ruby, come on. Let's drop it for now." His voice was gentle as he stepped farther into my room.
"You could just see it my way and know that I am right." I said as I snapped my head around to look at him.
"Ruby, as far as I am concerned, you will never be an Avenger. I will make sure of it. It is way too dangerous." He said, and I could feel the annoyance building in him. I would continue to push that to the edge.
"I could be a cop you know. They fight beside you. There is nothing you can do to prevent me from that." I snapped and raised one perfectly plucked and covered brow.
He sucked in a huge breath, "I refuse to fight about this now. This is a big step, and I will not fight with you during it. I missed a lot of key moments in your life, I won't fight with you on the ones I get to experience with you."
Suddenly the anger I had for him dissolved. I didn't want to push it- at least not tonight. "Okay." I said. There was a knock at the door before he could say anything else. He stuck his arm out for me to take, and I was quick to wrap my arm around his bicep and let him guide me. We had moved up to his old "Office home" that was like a penthouse until we left or our home was fixed. It had been used for storage, but they quickly cleaned it out so we could get out of our "tiny hotel style rooms" as Pepper labeled them. Peter stood at the end of the small set of stairs that my dad walked me down. He was pale, but when he saw me a big smile quickly went across his face, he looked perfect. Butterflies quickly started flapping around in my stomach and the air left my lungs. I smiled a huge smile at him.
"Mr. Stark, good to see you are alive." I hadn't noticed the woman standing next to him.
"Aunt May… Good to see you." My dad said.
"Ms. Parker is fine, thanks. I have been trying to reach you for over a month. My nephew takes off to help you for weeks on end and you can't even bother to respond to a call, or even an email. Then when he comes home, he has a girlfriend- Your daughter."
"Well, Ms. Parker, that last part I was also against. Believe me. However, I take full responsibility for not getting back to you. I just entered fatherhood… With a 16 year old daughter."
Her face relaxed a little. "Then you should understand the worry I had. If it weren't for the fact that this will send him through college, I don't think he would be working for you anymore, Mr. Stark."
My dad sucked in a deep breath, "Peter has earned that scholarship, if that is really how you feel, then so be it."
Me and Peter both shot our looks up to him. Silence fell on the room and Peter looked up to Aunt May. "We'll talk about it later, Peter, why don't we get you two to the dance." She said, her voice now soft.
Peter had gotten us beautiful masquerade masks. We put them on and took beautiful pictures together, we were on our way out of the tower when I realized I forgot my purse. I was almost back to my room when Loki appeared, my purse in hand. "You look lovely in green." He purred. I snatched my purse from his hands quickly, "I don't know what your fascination with me is, but it's weird." I snapped, and stomped away. I met back up with Peter, pushing Loki out of my head, and aunt May drove us to the school in silence.
We had just met up with his friend, Ned, and had barely started talking when Peters alarm started going off. "Shoot… I'm sorry." He said then turned to Ned, "Please, keep Ruby company."
"Peter, take me with you!" I begged.
"I'm sorry, Ruby, I can't." He said and took off to an empty part of the school, but I followed him. "Ruby, please, don't do this. Enjoy the party."
"No Peter, I am not staying while you go. I don't even know anyone here!" I said.
"Then take a cab home." He said as he came out, and quickly kissed me. "But you are not coming." He said, "Make sure she stays safe." I hadn't even noticed Ned had followed us. Then he pulled his mask down and was gone.
I stormed past Ned in the same direction Peter had went, but it was all in vein, he was long gone without a trace. I did call a cab, but not to go home, but to where we had our first date. It was dark by the time I got there. Tears made the makeup I wore streak my face. I paid the cab and went to the end of the abandoned buildings, they overlooked a beat down pier. I carefully walked out on it, sitting down to look up at the stars. "This is stupid." I said out loud to myself. "I could be there, helping them. I should be. Yet, here I am, alone on a pier that I had to get myself to." The moon began to shine brightly, making my dress sparkle in its light. "Why the hell did I come here?"
"It's like you knew I would come here." Peters voice made me jump. I quickly turned around, staring it him. He looked exhausted, somewhat beat. "I figured you would never forgive me for leaving you there for this. I thought I had blew my chance."
"Of course not." I said, my voice barely above a whisper, "I know it's what you have to do, all I care about is that you are okay."
"I'm okay." He said, and then he put his hand out to me, helping me to my feet. "We could still dance." He said, and gave me a crooked smile. I smiled back, nodding my head, "I would really like that." I said. He pulled me close, and I put the masquerade mask on. There was no music, but we stayed in perfect rhythm to the waves crashing against the shore. He spun me around, I stepped on his feet, but he never said a word about it. "Listen, Peter, I need to talk to you." I said as I pulled back from him slightly to look in his eyes.
"Okay." He said, then grabbed my hand and took me to the building we had spent time under the stars under last time, he quickly lifted us up there, we were staring up at the stars once again. "What do you need to talk to me about?" He asked.
I bit my lip as I tried to put what I wanted to say in the order that I wanted to say it. "Peter, is there anything that could ever make you hate me?" I asked.
"No." He said immediately. "I could never hate you."
"Really?" I asked as I sat myself up a little farther.
"Really." He said, "What is it?"
I opened my mouth to tell him, when suddenly a loud laughed boomed near us. Making the web shake. "Looky here, the bug led us right to the girl!" A woman called out.
"No." Peter whispered as he went to grab me, but suddenly the web was broke in between us, and I was falling, screaming. "Ruby, no!" He yelled as he shot a web towards me. I reach my arm out for it, and I almost had it when suddenly the pink orb surrounded me. It entrapped the web, leaving me swinging in the ball like I was trapped in a wrecking ball between the two huge buildings.
"What the hell is that?" A young male asked. His eyes were black, and wings were sticking up from his back. "Dark force?"
"No." The girl said nonchalantly as more mutants came forward. I looked up at Peter, who was thoroughly shocked.
"Lightforce?" another girl asked.
"Nah, I don't think so." She said as she angled her head. I started willing the ball to swing, and it did. Just as the one with wings bagan coming at me, I broke through the windows of one of the building, crashing into it. The ball dissolved and I rolled until I hit the other window on the other side. I quickly stood up, ready to fight, but I was alone. I heard Peter let out an agonizing scream and I ran back to the window just to see his limp body falling past. I shot the pink energy from my hand, catching him in it right before he hit the ally floor. I quickly laid him further back, at the end of the ally, leaving him in the protective orb, then I made a flat disk shape out of the pink orb, and I stood on it, letting it lower me to the ground. "You guys need to leave." I growled.
One of them could shoot fire from their hands, I was quick to not just deflect it, but send it shooting back, hitting them square in the chest with it. "Very interesting" The one with the loud laugh said.
"I don't want to fight you." I said, barely keeping my voice steady.
"Fight us? Honey, you are one of us. You should be joining us." She said, stepping forward. "We will forgive you killing our friends. We will even let your little boyfriend live... For now. Do you think he, or any of your little crew will accept you once they see what you are? You're the monster they're fighting."
I looked back at Peter, who was just starting to come to. "I could never hate you." His words rang through my head. "This is your last warning." I growled again as I turned back to them.
To say they didn't hold back was an understatement. I couldn't really do anything but deflect their blows. Blood leaked from my nose, but I wouldn't give up. Every fireball, every ice chunk and super sonic blow, it shook me and shoved me back, tearing the pavement as I was pushed back, but my shields remained strong and intact. They would stand strong for as long as I could.
Hulk was the first one to arrive. He slammed into one of them, crashing with them into one of the buildings, but then they turned on him. Peter was back in the fight, trying to take some of the heat off of me. The supersonic laugh girl turned to me, an evil grin across her face. One of them had superspeed, he was quick to throw the hulk off. One of them could stretch, and he was quick to capture Natasha. The one with telekinesis quickly threw Thor off. Another one who could control electricity began disabling Clint and Steve. The one with the wings grabbed the angry and burned one who could throw fire. I realized then what was about to happen. "NO!" I screamed as I threw my arms out, my pink ball of whatever it was attacking the enemy, grabbing them and quickly disabling several of them. Suddenly, they were all screaming, and the free ones ran. Blood dripped from my nose as I kept them disabled.
"Quick, put the collars on them!" Nick yelled. People dressed in black along with the Avengers were snapping the collars on them.
"You can let them go, Ruby. They can't hurt anyone with those on." My dad's voice came from behind me. It was soft and gentle. I let them go and turned so I could face him, but my eyes were still on everyone else too, like a cornered animal. "It's okay Ruby." My dad said, barely above a whisper, "You're okay."
I stepped back from him as he stepped closer, every one of the Avengers watching my every move. "I'm not a monster." I said, my voice trembling.
"We know that, Rubes. We don't think you're a monster." My dad said, not moving towards me this time, "I know you're scared."
"I can't help it." Tears were streaking my face. "I didn't ask for this." I could feel all of their judgement on me. I knew some of them felt like I was a monster.
"Ruby, we would never let anything bad happen to you." Peter said, I focused on everything he was feeling. It was still fuzzy and warm, "You saved my life twice. You're not one of them."
"What if I can't control it?" I snapped as I took another step back.
"I think you already have been, kid." Natasha said. I turned to look at her, her face was gentle, she was full of compassion.
"Ruby, come here. I will take you home. I won't let anything happen to you. I promised you that, and I intend to keep it." My dad said. I was thinking about it when a stray mutant came out of nowhere, lunging off the top of the building I had crashed through weilding a black mass similar to what I could manifest. I used my pink mass to attack back. We hit each other mid air, but our power clashing together was so strong in caused a ripple that caused the ground to shake. We both were flung back several feet after the powerful impact. I smacked my head on the corner of the other building. Pain soared through my body. I looked up- I recognized the guy- but from where? I put my hand to the back of my head, it was covered in blood. I laid my head back down, and then my dad was over me. "You're okay, Ruby, you're okay." He said as he ripped the masquerade mask off my head.
"I'm sorry." I said.
"Shhhh, shhh baby, you have nothing to be sorry for." He said as he picked me up. "Can you guys clean up here?" He asked. I looked over at the destroyed buildings, the ally way pavement was basically ripped up from where I had stood my ground and my shield ripped it up as I was pushed back. The road was full of huge holes, the nearby trees destroyed, trees and bushes in flames. I hadn't even realized how much destruction we had caused.
"You go! We got this!" Nick yelled.
Peter and my dad took me to the Tower. By the time we got there, I was feeling better. "I think I'm okay." I said as we went inside.
"You hit your head pretty hard." My dad said.
"I know, but I really think I'm okay." I said.
I looked over at Peter, who was bloody and beaten. "You still need to be looked at." Peter snapped. He was angry- not at me, but at himself.
They laid me on a bed, but I was quick to set up. Dr. Anderson came in to examine me, "You have quite the healing ability, do you know that?" He asked, "I've known for a little while."
"I figured as much. I thought my brain might be cracked at first, but now I feel almost fine." I said.
"It is definitely more prominent when you are using your abilities, I will say that." He replied. "I am glad to see you are okay though."
"You should check on Peter." I said.
"I already have someone starting that." He said with a smile, "So, let me focus a bit more on you. Do you have a headache at all?"
"Yeah, a little bit." I said as he shined a light in my eyes.
"Dizzy at all?" He asked as he looked at the back of my head again.
"No, it stopped before we even got back to the tower." I replied.
"Nausea?" He asked.
"No." I replied.
"Tenderness?" He asked as he pushed where the injury had been.
"Yes, some!" I yelped as he pressed too hard on a too tender spot.
"Sorry." He mumbled, "I will make you a deal, if you promise that if you experience any dizziness, nausea, sudden headaches, or unexplained drowsiness, that you will get your dad, or Pepper, or any one who is in the room with you to bring you straight back here, or if no one is there just call the infirmary and start coming this way and someone will meet you halfway to escort you, I will release you."
"I promise!" I said, anxious to leave. He quickly moved out of my way so I could stand up. "We will need to do other tests, as I am sure you can assume. However, that is something for another time. Your dad is in the waiting area, I recommend heading there."
Suddenly, I felt dizzy and nauseous. I sucked in a large breath and turned towards the glass doors. My dress, that perfect dress I had found, was ripped and torn and filthy. It had several burn marks, and it had black up the back from where I hit the pavement, and a few bloodstains too. My shoes were destroyed, holes in the sole from where they grinded on the pavement. I looked like a disaster. I sucked in another large breath, going passed the glass doors and making my way to the waiting room. My dad sat there, Pepper sitting next to him, both pale and looking distraught. Looking terrified. I almost turned back, ran from here, but as I took in a deep breath, I knew this wasn't a time for flight. I closed my eyes, concentrating. I was right, they were terrified; however, not of me, but for me, and for Peter too.
I stepped through the waiting room doors and both of their eyes shot up to mine. "Ruby!" My dad said as he shot to his feet, closely followed by Pepper. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah dad, I'm okay. They let me go." I said.
He quickly grabbed me, embracing me. He held me for several long moments before pulling away from the hug, but still tightly squeezing my shoulders. "When we realized that Peter was followed and that you weren't here and weren't still at the dance, you have no idea how terrified I was. We came for you as fast as we could, I tapped into Peters suit and I saw you fall, and then we saw him blackout. I didn't know what was happening. I thought for sure that we would be too late."
"I'm really okay." I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
"And I am so thankful for that." He said.
"So… You guys… You don't… You don't hate me, or anything?" I could feel the tears filling my eyes. I didn't understand, not completely. I was one of the monsters that they were fighting.
"Rubes… We could never hate you." My dad said, his eyes full of sympathy.
"Ruby, honey, this isn't some sort of punishment for anything you have done. You were born this way. You can't help it. There isn't anything wrong with you, this is just you." Pepper said as she stepped closer to me, "We don't hate you, and we aren't afraid of you either."
"We will need to have further discussion, but I think enough is enough for tonight." My dad said, "First, though, Peter is getting checked out, I think you should go and see him. I need to call his Aunt anyways. I have missed several calls from her."
I walked out of the waiting room and back into the infirmary. I found him quickly, he had been cut up pretty bad from broken glass and was getting stitches as well as being treated for a head injury. "Hey" I said as I walked in, my voice shaking slightly.
His eyes shot up to me, "Hey," He said back, his voice barely above a whisper, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Are you okay?" I asked. I could see that he wasn't. I could feel it too.
He shrugged his shoulders and looked away from you. "I couldn't protect you." He said, then reach into his pocket and pulled out my masquerade mask, "You could've been killed because of me." He said as he extended his arm to give it to me. In those quick moments, I couldn't help but remember some of our first interactions, and how I had held his mask for him while he was in the infirmary, and I had been the one worried about letting him die.
"For starters," I started as I took the mask from him, and started looking it over "I don't need to be protected. I think I proved that. Even if I couldn't, it isn't your job to keep me safe." I pulled my eyes from the mask up to his big puppy dog eyes, "Secondly, you aren't at fault. It could have just as easily been my dad that led them to me. In fact, if you will recall, it was him the first time around. You didn't know, and I don't think there was really any way you could have known. Thirdly, you can't put everything on your shoulders."
"Ruby, I want it to be my job to protect you, to keep you safe." Peter said, almost snapping at me.
"No. We are equals. I'm not some sort of job, or some little delicate fairy that needs to be protected, or a princess that needs saving. Equals. I can protect myself just like you can protect yourself. We just have eachothers back." I said, never breaking eye contact.
We stared each other down for several minutes before Peter let out a sigh and ran his hand over his face. "Okay." He mumbled. I stepped closer to him and gave him a peck on the cheek. "You get better, spiderman." I whispered to him.
I turned to walk away, but he grabbed my hand quickly. "Ruby…" He started, then furrowed his brow. "I- I'm really glad you saved me that night. I mean- I'm glad it was you."
"Me too, Peter." I said, and gave him a crooked smile.
Just then, my dad walked in. "Peter, your aunt May is actually more pissed than she was at me earlier. Yeah, I really didn't think it could go any worse than it did either. However, I told her we were keeping you safe here, and that was why you both weren't at the school, that we didn't want any loose ends. So, she will be here tomorrow to come pick you up." My dad said as he rubbed his face.
"Don't worry Mr. Stark, I'll talk to her." Peter said.
"Thanks kid. Well, you need rest, my daughter isn't going to be resting in the same room as you, and she also needs rest. So, I'm also taking her. Call if you need anything." My dad said and began guiding me out, "Call me if you need anything. Just to clarify."
"Thanks, Mr. Stark." Peter said as we left the room.
My dad waited right outside while I showered and cleaned up, terrified to leave me alone for too long. He tucked me into bed, and then just sat there, staring at me. "Dad… This is weird." I finally said.
"I'm sorry." He said, and looked away, furrowing his brow "There's just so much I have to say, and I don't know where to begin or how to even say any of it."
I sat up, "What do you mean?" I asked.
He sucked in a long breath, "I don't want to fight… but I think, at least for right now, that it would be best if we took you away. I was thinking Montana, or Oregon, or something like that. Alaska if we have to. Just off the grid. You can see what you can do, and you can do it safely."
"Dad, what, no!" I yelled, "I can't leave. I am the only one who can help you with these mutants, this should show you, I should be an Avenger!"
"Ruby, I'm not saying you should or shouldn't be. I am still against it, but I know what valid points you have. You know that they were after you. Not me anymore, not Peter, not any of us, they went right after you. My goal, my only goal, is to keep you safe. We don't have to leave for forever, but I think, maybe just for a few months, that off the grid is good. Think about everything more we can see with what you can do if we aren't here, in the city, if you don't have to worry about the press stalking you."
"What if things go really bad here? Then what?" I asked.
"Then we will come back." My dad said, "I promise."
I opened my mouth, but then suddenly Nick Fury was standing in my doorway, "Sorry to interrupt, but we have a situation with Spidey." He said.
I jumped out of my bed and followed closely behind them. No one said anything on the way down, but I could feel that Peter wasn't in any danger, he was okay. As soon as the elevator doors opened to the infirmary floor, I could hear May's screams.
"You stay away from me! Don't you ever come back!" My heart sank at her sharp, cruel words.
"Oh shit…" My dad said as he began sprinting down the hall, me and Nick following closely behind.
"YOU! Did you do this to him?!" I heard her scream.
"Ms. Parker, no, we did nothing to him, but please, don't do this. Peter, he is a good kid, and this, it doesn't change anything." My dad pleaded.
"Oh it changes everything! He is your responsibility now! He is not to come near me!" She screamed.
The look on Peters face, the tears that streaked his cheeks, they killed me. My heart broke for him. "Ms. Parker, if you leave this building and you try to say anything about Peter's identity, we will come for you." Nick barked.
"Nick, you are not helping." My dad growled as he threw his hand up, gesturing for him to stop.
"No, that's fine. None of you ever come near me. None of you!" She yelled as she stormed out.
My dad turned from the door she just walked out back to Peter. "Kid… She… She will come around." My dad said, his voice soft and gentle.
Peter couldn't reply, he just sobbed silently. I went to step closer to him, to comfort him, but Nick quickly grabbed me, sweeping me out the door, "No offense sweetheart, but right now is not the time. Trust me, he doesn't want you to see him like this, and your dad is the only one going to give him any kind of comfort. I promise you, if he asks for you, I will come and get you, but for right now, I think you should just go ahead back up to your room."
Tears streaked my face. Not because Nick kicked me out, but because the rejection he was feeling, was exactly what I had feared, what I had imagined happening with my dad and Pepper and Peter when they found out about me. As I stepped out of the elevator, Pepper quickly came to greet me, but stopped short when she saw me. I was almost hysterical.
"Oh God…" She said, her hands shaking suddenly, and her face going pale.
"No, he's alive." I said quickly between sobs, "Physically he's okay… Aunt May… She just…" I trailed off.
Her face and shoulders went from being in shock to just slumping over. "Oh no…" She said, then sucked in a big breath. She gently guided me up the stairs and to my bed. "Honey, your dad will not let anything bad happen to Peter. And just know, there is no power you can have that will ever make us disown you." She said gently as sat on my bedside.
I nodded my head as I tried to gather my composure. "Thank you." I said.
"Oh sweetie, you don't have to thank me." She said as she pushed my hair out of my face.
I nodded my head, "I love you." I said, then a hiccup bubbled past my lips.
"I love you too, Ruby." She said back, "Now, try to get some sleep."
I saw the tears in her eyes as she left my room. I knew she was also heartbroken for Peter. Part of me hoped that Nick would call, but he didn't. I was almost asleep when I heard the elevator door ring a good three hours later. I heard two people shuffling up the stairs. "You can sleep here, Peter. I'll stay here as long as you need. I promise, I won't leave" He whispered, and my heart squeezed.
My dad slept in a chair next to Peter's bed for the night. He never left his side.