Hi everyone! This is Mikoto Bloom. I want to say thank you. I'm sorry that I took so long, but I have a bad habit into putting in detail and I was busy with school.
I got 4 followers and 1 favorite (I'm one of each). Thank you, thank you so much! Again, I don't own Marvel, Avengers, or anything related to them, I haven't seen all the movies, though I did some research, the timeline may alter a bit. I only own my OC: Trudy Brisby!
P.S. If you noticed, I don't cuss. And I don't want put anything crude, inappropriate, nor show anything that involves s**. To be honest...it's embarrassing and it's hard to find fan fiction that is honest in its ratings. So, I want to be honest on my ratings. Thank you.
Please Read and Review!
Enjoy! :D
Still Thursday, October 13th
Trudy's POV
The next thing I knew is that we were at the Cheese Cake Factory. This is actually the first time ever in my life that I ever been to restaurant this big.
"Hey squirt," I looked up at Tony, "You look as if you haven't been in a restaurant before."
"Well, I have. It is because I haven't been to a restaurant this big or fancy in my life." I said.
Pepper smiled at me, "I hope you enjoy it."
I looked around and made a game to try to guess which one is Phil Coulson. Then one particular person caught my attention. He had brown hair and wore a suit that made me think of secret agents from movies. "Is that Mr. Coulson?" I asked Pepper.
Tony and Pepper looked toward my direction. "Yep, that's him." said Tony. The three of us walked toward Mr. Coulson.
"Hello Mr. Coulson," greeted Tony. When he said that, Pepper looked at him, puzzled about something. I thought Pepper knew Mr. Coulson. Why in the world—"You already know Pepper but the squirt next to her is Trudy."
Mr. Coulson smiled at me, "Nice to meet you Trudy, I'm Mr. Phil Coulson and I'm a friend of Tony's."
"*Acquaintance*" Tony coughed.
"That wasn't nice." I thought.
"And I'm here to help you guys."
As I was taught by my family, I looked at him in the eyes and offered him a handshake, "It's nice to meet you Mr. Coulson." As Mr. Coulson shook my hand, I kind of got a better look at his suit. His suit must have cost a fortune! He must be in a very wealthy type of career. A secret agent is still in my mind but I thought of other possibilities…some sort of Politician? A lawyer? Perhaps someone who works in a business or owns a company like Tony? No. Definitely doesn't own a business-
"Excuse me Miss Potts," said a voice from behind us, it was a waiter. "We have your seats ready."
"Thank you…David." she said as she read the waiter's nametag. We followed him to a table with four seats. Just as we took our seats, when I sat down, my eyes could only (barely) see across the table. I frowned (inwardly). I have forgotten how short I was.
I think I heard Pepper laughing a bit. Probably because I did made a frown.
"Would you like to get a booster seat?" asked the waiter.
"Yes please." I said. Whatever that is. After a few moments he came back with what looked like a brown plastic box. The inside is missing one side and has mold that seems to resemble one's behind. I got off as the waiter put the booster seat on, well…my seat. But before I decided to sit down I asked Pepper if I may go to the restroom. Pepper said yes but she is to accompany me and she needed to go too.
Pepper must have known this restaurant pretty well to know where the bathroom is. Either that or its 'emergency instinct' that Daddy has when he needed to go to the bathroom.
As we got inside and went doing our business, my mind wandered off into daydreaming of what my school is going to be like.
"Pepper?" I said.
"Yes Trudy?" asked Pepper.
"What is my school going to be like?" I asked.
I could hear Pepper sucked in her lips, "I'm not sure. But we can try to narrow down which school you need to go. But first we need to get you a nicer set of clothes. Besides, we did plan on getting new clothes."
That surprised me! I thought that she'd forgot about it. I couldn't help but smile at Pepper's consideration. "Ok." After we've finished our business and washed our hands, we went back to the table and took our seats (me, kind of struggling to get on till Pepper helped me).
Just then an older girl (who is younger than Pepper) came by the table. She had short bob-cut blonde hair and she was dressed similar to the waiter. "Good afternoon everyone." She greeted, "I'm Jennifer Holts and I'll be your waitress. Have you found anything you would like to drink?" she asked.
"Yes," said Mr. Coulson, "I'd like to have some of the CheeseCake Factory's Special Lemonade please." He said.
"Just water please." Said Pepper.
"I'll have the Hibiscus Martini, por favor." Said Tony.
I looked at the menu (kids' version) apple juice, and the lemonade sounded good but the one drink or drinks which puzzles me was 'soft drinks', "Excuse me, Pepper." I asked.
"Yes?" she said.
"What are 'soft drinks'?" I asked. Pepper smiled at me.
"Soft drinks are basically soda related. Like rootbeer." She explained.
I nodded in understanding, "Thank you Pepper." Then I turned my attention to the waitress, "I'll have some lemonade please." I said.
"Ok," she said after finishing writing on the notepad, "While you wait for your drinks, look at the menu and tell me what you would like to eat." She said, "I'll see you in a little bit." and she left.
"Ok, now that we are free to talk," said Mr. Coulson, "Let's talk about which school Trudy should go."
Pepper sighed. "I made priorities. One is that, which I'm sure you probably knew this, we have to put Trudy into a private school. Two, she would have to be placed at a not-too-distance from Malibu. While I was researching, the first school is called Birthsmith Elementary. It seemed to be like a good school. It has academics and activities, it has a good distance, and doesn't ask for too much information, we just need to hand in immunization and medical record, and birth certificate."
"That sounds fine." said Mr. Coulson, "Do you have their phone number by any chance."
Pepper nodded, "Wrote it in my planner. But we do have one problem," She said looking at Tony
"What?" he whined.
"We need to find you a good alias." She pointed.
Tony leaned back into his seat with ease, "No problem. I can just use my alias back when I was in high-school. Dale Tuttle."
Pepper looked at Tony skeptically, "What did you do?"
Tony laughed, both amused and nervously, "Me and Mitch… we uh…" then he looked at me, and laughed, "We used to use fake I.D.s and buy some bottles of beer. But of course it didn't last. My dad found out and I got a big amount of grounding."
"No wonder your dad grounded you. I would be haunted by Gran'Pam for life!" I said.
"Gran'Pam?" asked Tony and Mr. Coulson, simultaneously.
"My grandma. My father's mom." I explained.
"Ok, that explains it." Said Tony, leaning back into his chair, "Anyways from now on, when in Trudy's public life, I'll be known as Dale Tuttle, a simple, yet handsome worker who makes a good amount of money and has recently taken custody of an orphan girl I have graciously volunteered to take her under my wing."
"Reality Check Tony: you didn't volunteer to take Trudy. You were probably the last person Mr. Montrose wanted to bring Trudy 'under your wing'." said Pepper.
"That was Tony's story. This is Dale Tuttle's story. Don't get carried away."
"No. You're the one who shouldn't get carried away. That is one of your biggest weaknesses."
"Ok. You two, that's enough." said Mr. Coulson. He turns to Pepper, "Miss Potts, did you made the list of possible schools that Trudy may attend?" before Pepper could answer, Jennifer came back with our drinks.
"Here are your drinks folks. Are you now ready to order?" she asked nicely.
"Yes, I think we're ready." Said Mr. Coulson.
When the food arrived, I was wolfing/enjoying my pasta. I love pasta. Marinara sauce and cheese is my ultimate and only kind of favorite over anything else in the world.
"Whoa, whoa! Slow down, you'll get a stomach ache if you eat at that speed." said Tony, eating his grilled rib-eye steak.
"Pardon me. It was a long time since I've had pasta." I replied after swallowing.
"When was the last time you had pasta?" asked Mr. Coulson.
A sudden chill and silence came over me. Remembering…. my last birthday…. with Dad.
***
Daddy gently woke me up by shaking my shoulder. I looked up and he was smiling, "Happy Birthday Half-Pint!" he softly sang.
I smiled back at him, feeling like I'm the luckiest girl in the world. "Good morning, Daddy. How did you sleep last night? You seem more chipper than usual."
"Well, to answer your question, I slept like a rock." He made a grumble voice when he said 'rock'. It made me laughed a bit. "And today's the day that I, your father, will be spending the day with my little princess."
That got me confused, "But don't you have work today?"
"I've already asked Mr. Macintosh if I could take the day off. He said, in his Scottish accent, 'Aye Mr. Brisby. Tis not everyday you turn 10 yer old.'" He even did his funny 'impression' faces of his boss. "Quick question: do you still like pasta?"
I nodded, "Yes, but it's been a long time."
"Well, guess what my sweet girl? For lunch we are going to the Little Italian Restaurant or in Italian-"
"Piccola Italia Ristorante." We said, simultaneously. He laughed.
"I cannot get you stumped, could I?" he asked.
I shook my head, "Not yet anyway."
"Trudy, are you alright?" asked Pepper.
My head snapped up from my plate, "Yes, I'm fine. And to answer your question, I didn't have pasta since my last birthday." I said, looking at everyone. "I'm fine. So, I'll be ok."
"Ok. If you say so." Pepper took another sip from her drink. I get the feeling that she doesn't believe me. But I'm not going to push it.
Tony's POV
"I called Birthsmith School and the secretary said we can come anytime we want." said Mr. Coulson, (AN: Or should we say, Agent Coulson of S.H.E.I.L.D.). His voice brought me back to reality. I was looking at my ice cream, deep in thought, "So 'Mr. Tuttle', tell me again how did all of this happened?"
"She was dropped at my place….her father, a close and old friend of mine was killed two weeks ago by a car bomb."
Agent Coulson blinked in surprise, "Who was the murderer?" he asked.
"I-I don't know. I was too shocked to ask and…. (I don't even know why I'm telling you this) but what's the biggest surprise is that I'm the 'supposedly' last minute godfather for the poor kid."
"Wait a minute, 'supposedly' godfather?"
I shook my head, disbelieving, "To be honest, I don't know. Yesterday I had an appointment with a social worker. He gave me the news and told me about holding Trudy for a while. And then uh…. after he left I asked Trudy why I'm supposed to be her guardian and then she said that he said that I'm her godfather."
There was a moment of silence between us. "Wow. So… what are you going to do about it?"
"To be honest? I really don't know." I said.
"Well-" Agent Coulson was interrupted by sound of a very happy girl.
"Tony! Tony!" Trudy shouted running toward us in excitement. She was no longer in her big, baggy shirt and pants, she's now wearing a blue polo dress with short sleeves. She was smiling and her ponytail had ribbon tied in a bow. She was smiling and her smile made her eyes sparkle. That surprised me this shy and timid little girl was excited and talked in full speed, "I saw a fountain. A real fountain! Pepper gave me a penny and I got to make my first wish on it!"
"Really? Well, congratulations." I said. I found myself smiling. Then I noticed Pepper, a couple of feet from Trudy, carrying only a bag. "I thought, you were buying clothes."
Pepper smiled, "We did. The only clothes we bought are the ones she's wearing now. I asked Trudy if she wanted to get any more, but she said 'that's enough for today.' She's more excited about going to school than getting the clothes."
I laughed, "You really want to go to school."
Trudy nodded her head excitedly. "I really, really want to go to school Tony. I love to learn new things and it's been one of my dreams to go a real school, have teachers and maybe… have a friend. A real kindred spirit."
That phrased she used to describe her desire for a true friend was not only genuine, but I've heard something similar to that when I met Mitch years ago.
I was about 11 when I started high school. It was Phillips Academy, a boarding school that my dad put me in so he can work without being disturbed. Nobody cared who I was but that didn't bother me. Then one day I was ganged up by a group of guys who were bigger and stronger than me. They pushed me and shoved me, ripped my homework and threw my textbooks at me, saying mean things about me and my father. I almost got punched in the face if a certain hand didn't catch the flying fist.
"Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?" he seethed.
"Why not? Pretty, rich boy doesn't belong here. In fact, he doesn't belong anywhere. Even his parents don't want him!" said one of the boys. What that guy said was mostly true. My father didn't seem to care about me. He only cared about his tinkering and my mom. But my mom cared deeply about me and she was reluctant to let me go to boarding school.
"That's none of your business. If you leave now and don't bother the poor kid again, I won't tell. But if you don't, I WILL have to turn ALL of you." He said pointing to everyone who'd participated.
Just like that, they left without saying a word.
That's when he turned to me and smiled softly. He's a pretty tall guy. "Hey, you ok?" he asked. When he bent down, I've got a better look on him as he helped picked up my books and handed them to me. He had black curly hair, blue eyes that that are slightly cover by his bangs. Wore a brown leather jacket, a plain shirt with a stretched out collar, a pair of jeans and an old-worn sneakers.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied.
"You're Tony, right?" he asked.
I looked at him confused, "Yeah." Does he know who I am?
"We have a couple of classes together. That's why I asked." He said.
"Well, you know my name, what's yours?"
He lifted me up (boy, he was strong) and shook my hand. "My name's Mitch. Mitchell Brisby."
"Ok Mitch, why did you stood up for me?" I asked.
Mitch stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Well, forgive me if I'm wrong, but you look like you need a friend."
I laughed humorlessly, "Don't you mean 'bodyguard'?"
He shook his head. "No, a friend. A true friend who has your back."
Feeling my heartstrings trying to start the tear factory, I simply said, "I hope we'll help you with that." And then started to walk ahead, with everyone else following behind.
Trudy's POV
(In the car, an hour later)
After 73 minutes and 37 seconds (I've been counting), we arrived at a place called Birchsmith. The town looked very nice. Most of its streets were made of brick and had lamp posts on the sidewalks and it has a friendly atmosphere.
Finally, we arrived at the school. I was pressing my face against the window. The playground looks fun. Slides, monkey bars, jungle gym, swings, some seesaws, and not to mention the open green field. With a large sandbox! But what really caught my eye was the barn … it looked like….my home farm….
As we got out of the car, we went to the office. The secretary saw us, "May I help you?" she asked Mr. Coulson. The receptionist was plump but has a bubbly aura. On top of the desk, I read the plank board Mrs. Cox.
"Yes, you see, we called the principal to see if we can enroll a new student." Said Tony (or should I say, Mr. Dale Tuttle).
Mrs. Cox mouth went to an 'O' shape, "Oh of course. I'll call Principal Pickett to let her know you are here." She said as she picked up the phone.
"Hello?" said the other end of the phone line.
"Mrs. Pickett, Mr. Tuttle and his niece are here."
"Oh, I'll be right with them. Thank you, Nancy." Said the principal. After a couple of minutes, a woman with white hair in full fringe style, dressed in professional blazer and pants came into view. For someone who is well stricken in years, she is lovely. "Hello, I'm Mrs. Pickett. Principal of Birthsmith School." she shook everyone's hand, then she looked at me and smiled, "And this must be Trudy." she said, slightly bending her knees. "My, what a lovely child you have Mr. Tuttle." she said.
That caught me off-guard. I don't think I'm pretty at all. According to my other family members…
"Well, Trudy is not my actually kid-" said 'Mr. Tuttle'. But Mrs. Pickett stopped him.
"I know. I've heard she's your niece." she turns to me, "And I'm very sorry about your father's passing." she said.
"Thank you, Mrs. Pickett." I said. That was very nice of her.
"Anyways, you called earlier to see if this school would fit to your liking?" she asked.
"Yes, well, it's also for Trudy that needs to see if the school is right for her."
Mrs. Pickett smiled, "I understand. All parents and guardians wish what to do what is best for their child."
"Well, even if we did choose this school, we don't know what grade Trudy should be in." said Pepper.
This caught Mrs. Pickett's (and everyone else's) attention. "Oh that's alright. After we discuss and have a tour around campus, Trudy could take the academic placement test at the library if you like."
"That would be great Mrs. Pickett." She said.
(AN: I'm going to skim through this. I did it so you can see this and I want to get this done!)
Throughout the tour, the school was bigger than I pictured it. Not to mention so many rooms. But the important things I remember from Mrs. Pickett.
School starts promptly at 8:30 sharp…...
Kindergarten to 3rd grade meet here…. While the 4th to 8th graders meet in the upper floors….
Lunch at 11:30…..
35 minute recess (unless the weather is precarious) …..
3:05 all the children line up for the bus or wait for their parents to come and pick them up.
Most of it was boring to be honest. But my mind was mostly on the playground and the farm. I wonder what kind of animals are in there?
But after all that we went to the library. And the test I took was 3 pages stapled together. I immediately went to work as soon as it was handed out to me. The first part was math and a bit of Algebra, then reading and writing.
Easy peasey, lemon squeezey. Although, I had to admit that near the end of each subject, it became harder for me to answer but I did my best guess to the very end. (Although I hate guessing on important things because I'm wrong every time).
"When will I start school?" I sighed. Resting my hand on my cheek.
Mrs. Pickett chuckled, "You really want to go to school don't you?" she asked. I nodded tiredly. "Now don't you worry, as soon we see the results of the test and have your application turned in, you may be able to start school next Monday."
That caught my attention so much that I've jumped out of my seat and hugged Mrs. Pickett, "Thank you so MUCH, Mrs. Pickett!"
Tony's POV
I stared in shock and amazement that this kid even dared hugged someone she barely knew.
But Mrs. Pickett didn't seem to mind at all.
This kid is a mystery I tell you that.
"Mr. Tuttle?" said Mrs. Pickett.
Her voice got me out of my trance, "Yes?"
"If we want Trudy to go school next week, there's an application to fill in and you can bring it to me tomorrow if you like." she said.
"Oh no. That would be perfect."