Tony groaned and set down his coffee. He walked around the counter and grabbed Nina's shoulder. "Just stop," She shut her mouth. "How much trouble did you get in?" He looked like he was ready for the worst.
"None really," He looked down at her, an eyebrow raised. "I mean, we did some things that were probably stupid but-"
"No one got arrested," She couldn't tell if it was a question or a statement.
"No," She said.
"Hm, okay," He patted Nina's head and went back to his coffee. "I'll call the town car around front. Just tell him where you want to go," He started leafing through a magazine that lie open on the counter.
"Thank you," Nina paused, feeling kind of awkward about the whole situation. "Have a good day, Mr. Stark," She called over her shoulder as she made a break for the door. His only response was a wave in her direction.
On the way out of the house Nina called her father back and told him to cancel whatever he'd managed to get a hold of. Half an hour later she was getting out of the sleek, black town car and practically running into the hotel they were staying at. As much as she wanted to spill it all immediately, she needed a shower more. She took her time, enjoying the hot water and letting it relax the muscles in her shoulders, which had been tense the whole ride over. It was too short a time before it was time for the talk.
"So, what crazy thing do you need to tell me that we have to be in private for?" Needless to say, Frank was a little put off by the whole situation. Even though she'd told him it wasn't bad, he felt like it was.
"Okay," Nina took a deep breath. "So, ah, turns out Olivia and Katerina have been training with the Avengers. Katerina has fire powers and Olivia has something going on with metal and electricity. They showed me theirs so...I showed them mine," She spoke quickly and stopped very abruptly.
"Uh-huh," At this point, Frank was pretty sure he knew where this was going.
"They want me to come with them," To Nina, asking permission to join the Avengers felt just like asking to stay the night at a friends house when she knew her dad would say no.
"Well," The way he said it, she knew he wasn't going to say no. "You're an adult. I can't stop you from doing anything. Did you talk to Mr. Stark about it?" He asked.
"No. Olivia said she would, but they seem to think I would be useful," She let out a breath, heart fluttering. "I feel like I'm going to explode. Like, I still can't believe any of this is even real," It really was starting to feel like she'd fallen into another dimension.
"I always had a feeling something like this would happen," Frank spoke softly, a sad smile on his face. People as extraordinary as Nina weren't journalists or nurses. He knew that someday someone important would learn of what she could do and things would never be the same. If he were going to entrust her safety with anyone, it was going to be the Avengers.
Nina and Frank enjoyed themselves for the next two days traveling around Malibu, shopping, and beach hopping. It had been a long time since he'd had a chance to spend this kind of time with her. Regardless of the fun they were having, Nina's future was constantly weighing on their minds. Frank was proud but afraid. Nina was excited and terrified. They though about it every hour of the day.
Eventually, Frank flew home without her, glad enough to know she would be following him soon enough. They both had to constantly reassure themselves that Brooklyn was only a hop, skip, and a jump from the Tower. The day before Nina, Olivia, Katerina, and Mr. Stark headed to New York was busy and unpredictable enough for Nina not to worry over it too much. But, before she knew it they were all on a private jet.
"You know, I was serious about what I said about Steve," Nina looked away from the clouds passing under them and met Olivia's gaze. She was sitting across from Nina, sipping some alcoholic beverage. Katerina was next to her, legs crossed, trying to read. That was about to become all but impossible.