Awakening

*peaks out from behind corner* Don't kill me! I'm so sorry it took so long, I've been a weird anti-writing funk recently, that I'm trying to get out of.

Yeah

The sweet silence lasted barely a moment, but I clung to it. I didn't want to deal with the mortals in the room, I didn't want to answer questions with lies and keep everyone safe from the truth. I especially didn't want to quicken the time between now and the real explanation; the one with Dad and Bruce.

That was something that I was desperately trying to avoid.

Ignoring the throbbing in the back of my mind, the vibrations coming from the wall, I turned my attention to Barton, as he wearily broke the silence.

"Ok, so…Loki's gone, and apparently the world is safe. Can someone just explain what on earth just happened, and who the hell she is?!" Barton exclaimed, looking between Tony, Bruce and Thor before pointing at me.

I had to forcibly stop myself from sighing. Dealing with ignorant humans was annoying, but dealing with ignorant humans with a lower IQ score and a superiority complex was even worse; and that was what faced me.

"Calm yourself love or you'll cause the wall to breakdown even faster." Mortem's voice echoed through our Bond and his presence sent soothing waves of serenity through my mind, dulling the throbbing and allowing some of my irritation to fade.

Yes, I had been able to deal with Loki and Adayna well enough, but it seemed that I was teetering on the edge of my limitations; I wasn't sure how much more I could take.

"Yes," Rogers said, drawing me out of my thoughts, "I would like to know what is going on, and how your daughter isn't dead!"

Rogers was looking quite bewildered, and pale. He kept staring at me like he had seen a ghost, and it was only then that I realized that I was still in my Immoral attire, they might not remember it all, but they knew that I had played a major role in the Chitauri battle.

Not to mention Rogers thought I was dead.

I chuckled, glancing over at Romanoff's white face. She was glancing between myself and Dad, as well as Mortem with a worried look on her face. Dad was pretending to ignore her, but I could see the glint in both his and my Bonded's eyes.

Oh, perhaps this wouldn't be so tedious after all; in fact, it might be highly entertaining.

In Cor Insania chuckled, knowing that her Sister was correct, it was entertaining indeed.

"Oh, she was dead." I almost winced as Dad's icy tone caught my attention, I realized that I was drifting off a lot more than usual…and wondered if it was because of the wall in my mind. "very deceased, thank you for wonderful observation."

I glanced over at my father and shivered at the look on his face. It was colder than any mask he had ever raised, and his dark eyes looked like pools of black ice, the way they were glittering with vengeance. I could see the pain in his eyes and just knew that he hadn't taken my temporary death well.

"But you know," I said simply, trying to keep my tone light as my head started throbbing again. "You know, having Death as a boyfriend really does come in handy, especially when you have evil mind-controlling psychos out for your blood…"

"Yes, drag me into this." Mortem drawled in my mind and I mentally swatted him.

"You're already in it." I replied as Barton finally snapped out of his shock.

"But Stark doesn't have a daughter!"

Dad and I both chuckled as Thor raised an eyebrow at the archer, while Bruce looked amused.

"Umm, yeah he does." I drawled the same time Dad drawled, "Umm, yeah I do."

We both smirked as we glanced at each other, letting out relation become blatantly obvious.

"Now, let me properly introduce Penella Piper Maria Stark, my daughter." Tony quipped lightly, though I could see the shadows in his eyes.

Rolling my own, I stood up and walked up to the three shocked Avengers.

"Call me Penny," I said as I stuck my hand out towards the Cap. "I hope no one's going to be putting a bullet in my chest this time? Cause I would rather not repeat that incident."

I looked pointedly at Romanoff as I said this and I swore that a small blush crept across her cheeks before she locked down her emotions and her mask slid back into place.

"Neither would we." Dad and Mortem drawled at the same time, before shooting each other slightly surprised looks. Rogers blinked, and Bruce chuckled as I simply shook my head, boys.

"Wait, what?" Barton exclaimed, being the only one who was completely lost at what we were talking about. He looked between everyone, trying to understand what was going on, I sighed, feeling pity for the man.

Rogers was looking uncomfortable, not wanting to be the one to explain to the man the mess that had happened the last time Romanoff and I had met…when I wasn't saving everyone's asses. Bruce and Romanoff were both ignoring Barton's gaze as Thor simply tilted his head, his face stony, when Barton looked at him.

Dad's face was dark, and Mortem was currently messing with his nails so I decided that it was up to me to explain, everything…brilliant.

"Ok, I don't feel like going into details so…condensed version for the people who were mind controlled at the time. I followed Dad when he got called in, involved sneaking onto the Helicarrier which wasn't hard. Um, confronted Loki in his cell when I got bored, cover was blown by the, also mind controlled, god. Tried to escape, freaked SHIELD out….yada, yada, yada, fought Romanoff and after getting cornered and having your puppetmaster's master interfere, got a bullet in the chest thanks to your lovely little girlfriend over there."

I waved my hand lazily at Romanoff as Barton stared at me like I was insane…which I supposed I sort of was….huh…

Dismissing the thought I continued, "Went right through my Reactor," I gestured to the Arc's glow, visible through my tank top, "Which I can assure you, is not pleasant. Anyway…I died, but now I'm alive…Oh, I kicked Chitauri and Puppetmaster arse. Any questions?"

I tilted my head to the side as I finished my summarized, and edited, version of the day. I had the prefect look of innocence on my face, and I managed to keep it like that for a solid minute as Barton stared in shock.

That was until Mortem started chuckling.

"You forgot the fact that I had to spend hours tracking your bloody Soul down." He stated, and I was the only one to detect the tease in his voice.

"Awe, but you wouldn't 'ave let me stay dead." I teased him back, ignoring the others for the moment. "You like me too much!"

I almost said "love" but thought that it might be a bit much for Dad to handle.

"I haven't the slightest clue as to why I'm so fond of you." Mortem stated in a complete monotone, his face straight and blank. I burst into giggles as Thor chuckled and shook his head.

"You know," Tony suddenly said, "As much as I love this little moment, I would prefer if you stopped talking about your death so casually!"

I winced and almost faster than a human could blink I was across the room with my arms around my father's neck.

"I'm sorry Daddy," I whispered into his ear as he wrapped his arms around my own. I pretended not to notice the slight shake to his movements, or the chaotic mess that was his mind. It wasn't my place to pry, at least, not in front of everyone else.

"It's not your fault, Pen." Dad sighed, and my heart clenched knowing that he must have fallen apart when I died….

"So, wait…Stark has a daughter, who's the chick who knows Thor and apparently Death, who you are telling me died, and that Romanoff shot….wait a sec, you shot a kid?!" Barton froze in his mental regurgitation and spun around to stare at his partner in shock.

"She was an intruder on the Helicarrier and a threat to everyone on board!" Romanoff stated coldly, though her voice wavered just enough for me to catch it. "Besides, she wasn't supposed to be there."

Dad's eyes narrowed in fury and he opened his mouth to speak, but Bruce cut him off.

"Look, we can talk about Penny later." Bruce stated, deciding that it would be a good idea to change the subject. "Wouldn't it be a good idea to debrief the battle, before Fury shows up like we all know he's going to?"

Dad's mouth snapped shut and Rogers relaxed, as did Thor. Apparently, they both had been at a loos as to how to stall the argument.

"Good idea," Rogers stated, shaking his head to get himself back in the game. "We need to know what happened before we tell Fury, or anyone else for that manner."

"I agree." Thor stated, though he gave me and Mortem a curious look out of the corner of his eye.

"Though for the record I'm sixteen, teenager, not child." I jumped in with a smile, as I leaned back against the couch once again in between Dad and Mortem.

"Says you." Dad muttered out of the corner of his mouth and I stuck my tongue out at him in reply.

"Oh yes, that shows your level of maturity." Dad drawled with an eye roll.

"Moving on." I said loudly as Bruce and Thor looked at me fondly.

"Real subtle." Mortem snickered in my mind.

"Shut up."

Ignoring Mortem's laughter echoing through my mind I watched as everyone retook seats around the small lounge.

"Ok, so…everyone clear on what happened? Or do we need to repeat the obvious a few more times today?" Dad asked, subconsciously taking charge, causing the Cap to twitch.

"That won't be necessary," Rogers with quick to jump in. "But some clarification would be nice."

He said this while mostly looking between Dad, Mortem and I, so naturally I responded with a nod. Not that I was really paying all that much attention, the strange throb in the back of my mind was getting worse, and while I wanted it to stop, I didn't' really want that wall to come down.

Right now my thoughts were on the here and now, mostly, and I kinda wanted it to stay that way….

Yup, really didn't want to remember the past, which at the moment, I really didn't. So I sorta didn't know what I was forgetting, only that I didn't want to remember.

Complicated I know, but then, that was the story of my life.

Well, that and the fact that Fate hated me.

That was also the story of my life.

"Which part aren't you clear on Capsicle?" I asked, using Dad's nickname for the man as I knew it irritated him.

I was right, I almost cheered as Rogers' eyebrow twitched, but managed to contain myself. The fact that Mortem was holding my hand in warning might've had something to do with that…

"I understand that you're still alive due to…divine intervention…"

Did Rogers just call Insania and Mortem gods? Cool! We just got called gods!

"And that you're a mutant, I sort of gathered as much beforehand, but what I don't understand is why and how you managed to shut down the Tesseract, and why it turned back on afterwards."

"We also want to know what happened between us arriving on the roof, and awaking here. Dr. Banner explained that we stumbled onto a fight between …Miss Stark and a purple eyed Loki, but I'm not sure how we got here…and where is "here" exactly anyhow?" Barton asked interrupting Rogers, who looked at him disapprovingly.

"I was getting to that." Rogers stated to Barton who rolled his eyes.

"You were taking too long." He replied simply with a shrug, and I chuckled along with Dad. We shared a look and smirked, we might just get along with the archer…

"Calm yourselves." Thor stated stepping in as peacemaker again. I gave Thor a smile, he had grown up a lot since the last time I saw him….

I hissed and grabbed my head as my wandering thoughts caused the mental wall to shake. The pain was sharp, like a heated knife, though I knew that this was only a warning.

I had to control my thoughts and not try to trigger any of the memories again or the wall would come down earlier than intended…which wouldn't be good.

I had a feeling that Insania and Mortem had helped slightly when I was dealing with Loki and Adayna…

I wasn't getting that privilege now.

"Keep your mind on the here, and the now." Mortem whispered into my ear, and I was glad to realize, as the pain faded, that no one besides Tony and my Bonded had noticed my reaction.

"I'll try," I told him, and he nodded. We both knew that it was the best I could do.

"You're in Stark Tower," Dad stated simply, trying not to draw attention to me. "Quite a ways down considering that the penthouse and upper levels are currently rubble…but still. It wasn't that hard to get you three down here; considering we were only on the roof. Before you ask, yes the blast affect Thor, Bruce, and I, but we were better protected against it. Thor was mostly immune to it, being Asgardian, and the Big Guy protected Brucie of course. It was Jarvis' lucky reaction time that kept me from getting knocked out, but the suit took heavy damage. Cap, the only reason you were knocked out at all was because the blast caused you to hit your head on a slab of concrete rather hard."

Rogers and Barton both nodded, taking the story in stride as they had when Bruce had told them. Thankfully, this time the story seemed to stick for the two, and they didn't question that again. Romanoff still seemed suspicious, but I didn't really care about her at the moment, I was still irritated with her.

"And she knocked Loki out?" Barton asked, nodding towards me. I raised an eyebrow at him and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks for a moment before vanishing.

"I mean Penny." He corrected, and I smiled at him.

"That was I," Mortem said, speaking to them for the first time. Barton and Rogers both looked shocked for a moment before concealing it. "I felt it necessary to intervene, as his power was growing beyond what his body could handle. Few moments more and the strain would have killed him."

Thor flinched at the thought of his brother's death but didn't comment. What Mortem said hadn't been too much of a lie; the strain of being possessed by an Immortal had almost killed him…

"Why did you even help us?" Romanoff suddenly questioned, surprising everyone in the room. She had been mostly quiet up till now. "I suppose I understand assisting Stark," I rolled my eyes, could no one call me Penny? "But why stop Loki and help us with the Chitauri. Surely someone of your…stature…would have more important things to do."

Mortem's face remained emotionless, but I could see and feel his irritation beneath his calm exterior. He was still pissed at Romanoff, and to have her question his actions…yeah, not her wisest move.

"I helped you because Penny asked me to." Mortem drawled, wrapping an arm around my waist in an obvious movement, to which Dad sighed. "As to why I stopped Loki…it was not his Time."

Thor cracked a small smile, before hiding it, and Dad had to do the same.

It was a good cover, one that was practically flawless.

"Nice one." I told him and he tightened his grip on me in reply.

"Glad to know you approve." I swore that Mortem rolled his eyes at me, I just couldn't prove it.

Romanoff didn't know how to reply to that but Rogers and Barton both took that explanation with nods, even Bruce nodded in appreciation for the fib.

"Alright," Dad said getting to his feet, and my eyes narrowed as I realized that he was favoring one leg, "Anyone want anything before ol' eye patch shows up? Jarvis is supposed to let us know beforehand but still…scotch? Beer? Soda…I'd even give you pancakes if that is what you want."

Everyone just stared at tony causing him to raise his eyebrow in question. "What? Well, I'm ordering Shawarma, don't know what it is but Insania mentioned it a few weeks ago and I'm curious…"

He shrugged and moved over to the tiny kitchenette in the corner, his limp becoming more and more noticeable.

I gave Dad a look of disbelief, he was seriously considering following a suggestion of Insania's? He knew better than that!

"Oh yes, 'cause that's a wonderful idea." I drawled before standing up and following Dad over to the kitchen.

"Oh, Jar, could you order a few pizza's too with that? I feel like pizza right now…" I added on, glancing up at the noticeable ceiling camera.

"Of course Miss Penny, and may I say that it is good to see you back on your feet and in the Tower." The relief was obvious in the AI's voice. "Perhaps you can assist me in keeping Sir off of his leg until the necessary medical personnel get here?"

I chuckled at Jarvis as some of the Avengers glanced at the ceiling in momentarily confusion, having had forgotten about the AI.

"That I can do," I replied as I smiled at my father. "I was worried for a moment that you were going to ask me to help keep Dad out of trouble, cause that's just impossible."

"Objection!" Dad exclaimed in mock protest and I stuck my tongue out at him again, trying to ignore the increasing throbbing.

"Yes," Jarvis drawled, "If keeping you two out of trouble was my intention I would request the assistance of Miss Potts, and Mortem, as they would have more success then I."

"Hey!" Dad and I both protested as Mortem chuckled from his place on the couch.

"Indeed, however, I'm afraid that even I can't keep trouble away from Penny. It's like she attracts is." Mortem stated simply and I pouted at him, though I'd deny it later.

"I am starting to wonder if it is an undiscovered genetic trait." Jarvis continued and I glanced over at the others as Bruce's chuckles became rather obvious.

"Jarvis, if attracting trouble was indeed an heritable thing, then I believe the world would be doomed." Tony chuckled shaking his head as he leaned against the counter.

A few more chuckles echo through the room before a moment of silence takes hold, and once again, it was Barton who broke it.

I was starting to wonder if Barton had a thing against silence or something.

"I must admit, I've heard a lot about your AI, Stark, but man…it doesn't even sound like a computer." Barton commented with a whistle of appreciation.

Suddenly the room stilled, and you could feel the tension that appeared. Tony and I both stared coldly at Barton, though we refrained from glaring. Most people just thought Jarvis a very capable computer after all…it was a common mistake.

"That is because, Agent Barton," Dad stated and at the use of this title, Barton knew that he made a mistake. "Jarvis is more than just a computer. He may have started out simply as computer code, very sophisticated computer code but still, he is as alive as you and I and I would like you to remember that."

Barton was already nodding, his eyes slightly wide, though he couldn't help but regard the ceiling camera with some fear.

"Nor is Jarvis our butler or assistant, as we have many believe." I stated and Dad and I locked eyes momentarily. If we were going to be working with these people, they needed to know about Jarvis. And at the moment, Happy, Pepper, Coulson, and Rhodey were the only humans who knew his actual capabilities, though I bet Fury suspected.

"He is part of our family." Dad stated continuing what I was saying.

"The baby of the family," I jumped it. "My little brother,"

"And I expect him to be treated as such, understood?" Dad's voice was practically ice by the end of his statement, and my expression was just as cold.

It was true, Jarvis was like my little brother…who was way smarter than me and tended to act like the older sibling. Dad thought of all of his AI's as his children, even though U, Dummy, and Butterfingers were nowhere near as sophisticated as Jarvis.

Everyone but Mortem nodded, though Rogers looked rather dazed, and Thor looked slightly confused.

The Avengers would soon realize, if they hadn't already, that Starks were very protective of their own.

"Sir, Miss Penny that was hardly necessary." Jarvis protested but I could hear the appreciation in his voice. He didn't always like dealing with the outside world, as people tended to treat him like an object instead of a person, something that angered Dad and I to no extents.

"Yes it was." I told him instantly.

"If they're going to be working with us, and staying here, then they're going to treat you right." Dad stated and suddenly, the others froze.

"Staying here?!" Bruce asked, his eyes widening and his posture stiffening. "What are you talking about?"

"Slipped that one a bit early." I commented to my father as he watched the reactions of those in the room.

"So it would seem." He agreed, but the rest of the conversation was postponed as Jarvis chimed in.

"Sir, it seems that Director Fury wishes to speak with you. He has connected a live video feed to my communications, should I patch it through?"

"Pull it up with the projectors." Dad stated, "Oh, and make sure that the delivery guy's get tipped extra for maneuvering through this mess, will you?"

"Of course," Jarvis chuckled as the hologram projectors lit up and we were all gifted with the sight of Fury's lovely, irritated looking face.

His eyebrow twitched as he caught sight of us, and I rolled my eyes.

Lovely.

Ok, could spend an hour apologizing, but…I'm sleepy so I'm going to go to bed. I am sorry it took so long to update, as I said above I've been in a weird anti-writing funk that I'm trying to break. Hope you like the chapter; it was extra-long just for you guys.(spent the last two hours writing for you!) I'm hoping that updates will be more frequent, but no promises!

Thanks to you all, you all rock!
Cp