Author's Note: Heheheheheh. So, most of the team knows Piper's secret. We're gonna start delving a bit more into Piper's past in these next few chapters. Also, I'm gonna deviate pretty hard from the show, I got some of this inspiration from the older movies. I own nothing.

28. Dreams

Piper kinda wished she hadn't told them just yet. Sam was still freaking out even as she got them their ice cream. She'd told them it was a secret and that very few people were privy to this knowledge but Sam couldn't seem to contain himself. It was kind of amusing though.

"So wait, you know the Avengers?" Piper handed him his mint chocolate chip cone, a sardonic look on her face.

"Sam, I live with them. They're obnoxiously awesome." He didn't stop though.

"Can you access the armors?" Piper licked her triple chocolate chunk cone.

"Some of them. Sam can we maybe talk about this later, in a less public capacity." Sam was about to speak again when Danny slapped a hand over his mouth.

"That sounds lovely Piper. Thank you for the ice cream." MJ laughed.

"I had the same kind of questions when he took her in." Piper slung an arm around MJ's shoulder.

"MJ has been there for me since the beginning." There was a honk from the parking lot and Piper looked up to see the sleek black Audi Happy normally drove. He'd dropped them off at an ice cream parlor on sixth avenue. Piper glanced at MJ she nodded and Piper raced over to the car.

"Happy what's wrong?" He frowned.

"It's your dad. He got hurt. They're back at the tower. Get in the car." Piper dropped her ice cream and hopped into the back seat and the car sped off. Sam was about to complain about her leaving them behind when MJ switched on the news on her phone.

'In Avengers news today, a skirmish with AIM scientists turned sour when Entrepreneur Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, took a shot to the chest during the battle. At our last update, the millionaire is in critical condition in the medical wing of Avengers Tower. All press has been denied access.' MJ switched off the news cast. Ava swore.

"I hope he's gonna be ok." MJ nodded at Ava.

"Me too. She can't lose anyone else, I don't think she'd be able to handle it."

Piper ran to the elevator and demanded to be taken to the medical floor. JARVIS obliged. Pepper met her at the door.

"Come with me sweetie. He's asleep but he should be fine." Piper breathed properly for the first time since she'd dropped her ice cream onto the parking lot. Pepper rushed her into one of the recovery suites. Tony was asleep on the bed, he had bandages on his chest and scratches on his face. Steve was sitting next to the bed looking guilty. He looked up and stood as Piper entered the room. He rushed over to her and hugged her.

"I'm sorry Piper." She shook her head.

"Don't be sorry Uncle Steve, you brought him home. That's what's important, not who shot him or if he took the bullet for someone. You got him home. Thank you." Steve nodded tears in his eyes as Piper took over his chair wrapping her hand in her fathers. Pepper and Steve left the two of them alone. Piper flopped her head down onto the bed next to her father's hand and cried. It had been a long day, she was emotionally exhausted, and still healing from the fight with Taskmaster. She found herself drifting on the edge of sleep, soon she took the tumble off the edge.

She was in a house, hiding behind a curtain. Someone was counting, a man she could tell by his voice. It sounded so familiar. He reached ten and spoke again.

'Ready or not here I come.' She giggled as overly loud steps crossed the living room. Soon the curtain was pulled aside and she was swept off her feet giggling the whole way. He was tall, taller than Tony but not quite the same height as Uncle Steve, his hair was wiry and brown but he didn't have a beard. He had a set of thick rimmed glasses perched on his nose and the same big blue eyes Piper saw in the mirror. She threw her tiny arms around his neck.

'Daddy!' He smiled wide and ruffled her long brown hair.

'Found you sweetie.' He looked like he was gonna say something else when a cry and loud booming noise sounded from upstairs.

'Richard! Get up here! Bring Piper with you!' He ran up the stairs, pausing at one of the always locked end tables. He placed a thumb over the keyhole and it flashed with light for a moment before the drawer opened revealing a stash of guns and a few knifes. He resettled her on his hip and shushed her as she was about to ask a question. He opened the door careful to keep Piper out of the line of sight of the door. He held the gun in his other hand and sighed with relief when all he found on the other side of the door was a woman.

She was also tall, around five foot seven with the same long brown hair Piper had. Her eyes were brown though and Piper reached out the her.

'Mom.' She took Piper from her father and hugged her. Only then did Piper see the disaster that the study had turned into. Piper frowned. Her father spoke.

'What happened in here?' Piper shook her head.

'Wasn't me.' Her mother nodded running a hand through her hair.

'I know it wasn't sweetie. Someone was looking for something Richard.' Her father paled.

'Did they find it?' Her mother shook her head.

'I don't think so.' She handed Piper back to her father and quickstepped over to one of the walls. Piper frowned as her mother pushed aside one of the pictures on the wall and placed her hand on the panel behind it. The wall shuddered and opened revealing a small, nearly closet sized space off the study Piper had never seen before. There were guns on one of the walls and a small desk with a metal briefcase on top of it. On the briefcase was printed an insignia, a circle with what looked like a bird in it. Piper hadn't seen it before.

'They didn't get it but they knew to look here. Mary, we need to up our time table. I'll call the director, set up a rendezvous. And the Brocks, we'll need their testimony.' Mary nodded and took Piper from her father's arms again before stepping out of the room.

'Sweetie, I need you to do something for me ok?' Piper nodded and her mother smiled.

'I need you to go pack a backpack ok, some clothes and your blankie. You're gonna go stay with your Aunt May and Uncle Ben for a bit ok?' Piper shook her head.

'Mom, I don't want you to go.' Mary hugged her daughter tight.

'We'll be back sweetie, I promise. Now go pack a bag.' Piper ran off to her room and packed her bag. Soon they were in the car. Piper dozed in the back seat and woke to her father shaking her shoulder.

'We're here sweetie.' He picked her up and carried her and her backpack inside. Her mother was already inside talking to her Aunt May.

'She likes chocolate milk, she won't drink normal milk. We should be back in a couple of weeks. I'm sorry it's so short notice.' Aunt May hugged her mom.

'It's ok Mary.' Her uncle Ben took her from her father's arms and she rubbed her eyes. Uncle Ben hugged her father with one arm.

'I wish you'd tell us where you were going Richard.' Her father shook his head.

'You know I can't Ben. It's safer if you don't know.' He handed her backpack to her uncle then pulled something out of his pocket and pressed it into her uncle's hand.

'If anything happens to us, show this to Piper when she's old enough to understand.' He pressed a small silver USB drive with the same symbol on it as the briefcase into her uncle's hand then hugged Piper one last time. Her mother rushed over to them and hugged her daughter one last time. She kissed her on the forehead and hugged her again before they rushed out the door and back into the car. Her uncle held her close as she drifted back to sleep in his arms.

Piper woke up to someone running their hand through her hair. Despite the tears streaming steadily down her face she looked up into the tired face of Tony Stark and threw herself into his arms. He laughed and groaned in pain. She pulled back.

"Sorry." He shook his head.

"No need to be sorry, why are you crying Pipes. I'm gonna be ok." She nodded and whipped at her face.

"I know, I had a dream, about when mom and dad left." Tony wrapped his arms around his daughter and let her cry.