Hey guys, thanks so much for all of the favorites, follows, etc. this story already has! I'm so excited to keep this going, and please review I'd love to hear your feedback. Enough with my rambling, enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 2: I know you're hiding something

Emma sulked down the sidewalk, slowly making her way home. She knew she was in for it when she got there, and that she was only making it worse by being late.

I don't care, I just need some alone time, she thought.

She realized that people might recognize her, and the paparazzi would be a nightmare if they did. And then someone would have to come and get her. So she pulled her hood up over her head and tucked her hair into it.

Even if Emma wasn't the daughter of Tony Stark she would be noticed. She had straight, waist length hair that was jet black with bangs that swept over her forehead. Her eyes were big and sapphire blue, and her skin was very pale. She was also pretty tall for her age and had a slim but strong build. Most people thought she was beautiful, but Emma generally wasn't very worried about the way she looked. Honestly, she didn't look much like her parents. Her mom had bluish eyes, but she figured she got the rest of her looks from other distant family members.

If she looked closely between buildings, Emma could see the shining Avengers Tower. Apparently, about sixteen years ago it was Stark Tower, but it was half-destroyed in some huge battle. That was about a year before she was born. So they rebuilt it as a headquarters for the Avengers, a group of superheroes that her dad was a part of. Emma didn't live in the Avengers Tower; her parents had decided that it was much too dangerous because the Tower was attacked every so often. So she, her parents, and her little brother Ben lived in a nice penthouse across the city, which was where she was headed.

Emma had met all of the Avengers, and she had to admit they were pretty cool. She got along fine with all of them except for Clint, or "Hawkeye" as the others sometimes called him. She personally thought he was extremely annoying and they bickered a lot, but they had their good moments every once in a while. But Thor was really Emma's favorite. She didn't know why, but the demi-god had always taken a liking to her. Her parents told her that he had been there when she was born, and even since then he had spent a lot of time with her. He had even been there for every one of her birthday parties. They were best buddies, and she didn't know why but she felt a special connection with him.

Emma rounded a corner and saw the entrance to her building a little way down the sidewalk. There were no paparazzi outside, which had become normal lately. Apparently there wasn't as much evil afoot in the world as usual, no doubt because of her dad and the rest of the Avengers. Therefore there weren't as many battles and stories for them to cover.

She then realized that she had stopped walking and was just staring at her building.

Ok Emma, you can do this, just take a deep breath… she thought as she continued to approach the entrance.

"Good Afternoon Ms. Stark, you decided not to take the bus again today?" said the doorman.

"Hey Paul," mumbled Emma as she slid by him and through the door. She walked through the lobby and got into the elevator then pushed the button for the penthouse.

I'm so dead, I'm so dead… she thought as the elevator rose.

The doors slid open and she walked up to the entrance of her home.

"Hello Ms. Stark, your parents are waiting for you inside."

"Hey Jarvis," said Emma. "And for the millionth time you can call me Emma."

"Apologies Ms. Stark, but it is not in my programming to…"

"Yeah yeah I know you've told me. I'll have to tell my dad to reprogram you," Emma interrupted as she put her eyes up to the security scanner. The door unlocked and she took another deep breath.

Well, here goes nothing.

Emma opened the door and walked inside. She slowly travelled down the hallway towards her room, hoping her parents wouldn't notice her. But then she heard hushed voices coming from the kitchen. She stood still and silently listened to the quiet conversation that floated into the hallway.

"I just don't think it's a good idea to do it too early," she heard her mother say.

"I know Pep, but we have to tell her soon, especially with everything that's going on…" said her dad.

What are they talking about?

"If I could interrupt for a moment," she heard Thor say. Why is Thor here? "I think she deserves to know," he continued. "She's definitely old enough, and I've seen personally what keeping a secret like that can cause."

Emma kept creeping forward so she could hear better, she was pretty good at being stealthy.

She heard her mother sigh heavily. "We should have just told her from the beginning! Now she's going to have major trust issues. She's had to have noticed things by now, eventually she's going to make connections and she's going to find out…"

Her mother was interrupted by the loud ringing of Emma's cell phone, which she had forgotten was in her pocket. Immediately the conversation in the kitchen halted. Her parents and Thor walked into the hallway and stared at her with wide eyes.

Emma looked at her phone and answered it. "Dani, I'm gonna have to call you back," she said as she glared at them. She put the phone back in her pocket and folded her arms.

"Emma honey, how long have you been home? You don't get done at school for a while," her mom said nervously.

"I got done at school an hour ago, I've been home for about five minutes," Emma replied.

"Oh… so can you please explain why you're late?"

"Yeah! And… and… we got a call from your school, you fell asleep in class again?!" Her dad added.

"Please don't try to distract me guys," Emma said.

"From what?" Asked Thor innocently.

Emma simply motioned toward the kitchen and continued glaring at them.

"Oh, we were just talking about…" started her dad.

"My cousin!" Exclaimed Thor.

"Oh really? I didn't know you had any cousins Thor," Emma replied.

"Uh… yes of course… my cousin… Gertrude," he stammered.

"Oh yeah? What secret are you keeping from Gertrude?"

"That's not something you need to know, it's concerning Thor's family and it's none of your business," interrupted her dad.

"Well then why is it any of your business?" Emma asked.

"Emma, stop arguing. We explained the situation to you and now you're just being difficult," said her mom. "Just… go to your room and stay there while we figure out a punishment for everything you did today."

Emma glared at them. "I know you're hiding something, and I'm gonna figure out what it is." She then turned on her heel and stomped off to her room. She slammed the door behind her and dropped unceremoniously onto her bed.

What aren't they telling me?