New York, 2012. It changed everyone somehow.
It changed Steve Rogers. It changed Tony Stark. Most of all though, it changed Aurelia Stark.
When nothing in Aurelia's world is what she thought it was, how will faces from her past change her whirlwind...
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Oh, home, let me come home Home is wherever I'm with you Oh, home, let me come home Home is wherever I'm with you -Home, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
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February 7th, 2013 Stark Tower, New York City
As the elevator rises up, I can't shake the wide grin that overtakes my face and the tapping of my foot with anticipation. Steve looks around the lavish elevator, seemingly and unsurprisingly impressed by what he's witnessed of the tower so far. For what seems like hours but is just a minute and a half at most, I stand waiting for the elevator to stop and the doors to ping open.
After far too long in my eyes, we finally come to a stop and the doors open, revealing the modern living area. On the white rounded sofa, Pepper sits, looking exhausted, as Dad paces back and forth, typing something on his phone. Neither of them seem to notice the sound of the doors opening or just don't care to check who it is.
I keep my eyes fixed on my father and say in a quiet voice, "Hey."
Immediately, the high-tech phone slips from his hand and onto the hard floor below and his eyes fix on me, wide as saucers. Then, he rushes over and slowly touches my cheek, almost as if he's checking I'm real. As his hand touches me, I see tears gather in his sleep-deprived eyes and he quickly pulls me into a hug, the odd yet familiar smell of cologne and petrol comforting me.
"Oh, munchkin." he sighs, still holding me tight, "You're okay. My baby's alive!"
"Woah, woah, watch the leg." I giggle, stumbling slightly on my crutches.
Pepper runs over to me, her heels clicking against the floor as she does, "Aria! Sweetheart! We thought you were... you were..."
"Dead?" I question, "Why? 'Cause I was hunted down by a government organization full of Nazis?"
"Yeah. Yeah, that kind of sums it up." she nods.
Dad pulls away and glares at me, "Why didn't you call?" he asks, his tone frustrated yet still loving.
"I was on the run!"
"Yeah but after that! After the helicarrier fight! That was three days ago!" he says exasperatedly.
"Uh... For spontaneity?" I say with an awkward smile, "To maintain the element of surprise? I got shot in the leg, I was in pain."
"Shit, yeah. Are you okay?" he asks, staring at my bandaged-up leg.
"I've been worse."
He just shakes his head and pulls me back into a careful hug before, seemingly, only just noticing Steve standing behind me, "Oh. Uh... Captain." he nods to him.
"Stark."
"Nice to see you're alive too." Dad says awkwardly.
"Yes, um, how have you been?" Steve says in an attempt to make small talk that is, frankly, painful to watch.
"Not fantastic. You know... I thought my daughter was dead." Dad grumbles as Pepper and I share a look.
"Okay, cool conversation guys." I butt in, "But we did come here for a purpose... aside from alerting you of my... being alive. I need to ask a favor of you."
"Of course you do." he chuckles.
"Well, you've got this big tower and only you, Pepper, and Bruce in it. And since our apartment in DC has a bullet hole in the wall and we're probably unwelcome in DC anyway after we dropped three massive planes on it." I ramble, "So what I'm saying is... can we move in here?" I offer my most convincing smile and big puppy dog eyes.
His eyes widen and he obviously tries to stifle a grin, "Yes! Sure. Yeah- Yes, if you want."
Pepper hugs me again with a wide smile, "Sweetheart, this is fantastic!"
I beam, "And now with S.H.I.E.L.D gone, we just need to find the scepter and then we can finally live in peace!"
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A message from the author: And she's back (but probably just for today)! This is just a filler chapter but I just updated my Bucky Barnes book, Blood In The Water, with some good chapters, so... please read! Hope you all had a good day! Remember to vote and comment! See you all next chapter! (;
