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2012, Stark Tower The next day
Happy and Hope enter the private elevator to Stark Tower after he picked her up from school.
"All right kid, Your dad is in the living area, and I'll be back later because I got to finish up doing the things your dad left for me."
"Have fun, on your way back can you get us cheeseburgers?"
Happy laughs. "Of course, you know I'll get you all the cheeseburgers you want."
"Sweet, I'll be waiting just have JARVIS call us down when you get back."
As the elevator stops on the floor to the living area, Hope gets off while Happy stays in.
"See you later, kid." She waves goodbye as the elevator doors close. Hope heads to where her dad is and sees him still looking over the same files. "I thought we finished your "homework" already?"
Tony turns around and sees Hope and sighs. "I think you already know what's gonna happen kid." She nods. "Once we went over the files together I knew you were gonna help them, regardless of how you feel about S.H.I.E.L.D." Tony looks up at her with a small smile.
"Dad, you've never backed down from a fight and I don't think you ever will. I know it and you know it too. It's why I asked Sophia and Olivia if I could stay with them for a bit." Tony shakes his head at her statement. "You're smarter than you look, kid. Come here."
Hope walks closer to Tony, and he pulls her in for a hug. "I'll be back soon, alright? If you need anything and I mean anything, call me and I'll be back before you know it." Hope hugs him tighter. "Always and forever?" Tony pulls away and looks Hope in her eyes. "Always and forever, kid."
Tony gets up and pats Hope on the head before going to pack some of his things, leaving her alone in the living area. Hope sighs as she looks around. She knows their time in New York isn't permanent, but she can feel that something will keep them here longer than they planned. That something terrible is going to happen here in New York or worse that something bad will happen to her family.
She was given up by the parents who brought her into this world only to find who her true family was. Natasha, Tony, Pepper, and Happy. People who truly took care of her and loved her for who she was and not what she can be. Before Natasha saved her, Hope was experimented on by people she can't remember always telling her she would be unstoppable if what they were putting in her worked, to only be punished later for having 'not shown any progress' whatever that meant.
Natasha had been on a mission and saved Hope and other kids there from being further experimented on. Only they all showed a tremendous amount of power while Hope hadn't shown any at all. She honestly wondered if what they did to her would have any effect on her life later on, she always wondered what they tried to do to her and why her of all people.
Hope sighed and went to her room to pack to go to the Stallard-Menken's house before she lets her thoughts overrun her head. As she packs her things she puts on music so she can distract her thoughts. The music of Taylor Swift flows through her room and soothes her. Halfway through packing, she hears a knock on her door.
"Come in."
Hope's friend Olivia comes in with Happy right behind her holding a bag with cheeseburgers. She smiles at the two. "Olivia!"
Hope runs over to the girl and hugs her tightly while Olivia does the same. "Hey! I'm here to pick you up, my dad and Sophia are downstairs in the car waiting." Hope lets Olivia go and nods. "I'm almost done packing just need the stuff from my bathroom and I'm good to go." Hope turns to Happy.
"Thanks for the cheeseburgers sunshine." Happy rolls his eyes at his nickname. "No problem, despair. Just don't tell your dad I didn't get him any." Hope salutes him. "Bye Happy see you in a few days." Hope gives him a quick hug before going to her bathroom to pack the rest of her things.
Hope and Olivia exit the tower with everything she needs packed, her stomach full of cheeseburgers, and ready to head to the car where Olivia's father is waiting for them. The two enter the car laughing about something that happened earlier in school. Hope sees Olivia's twin sister Sophia in the car with the twin's father.
"Soph!" Hope quickly gives the girl a side hug as she sits in the middle of the twins, and they get settled quickly. Sophia lightly blushes at the contact from Hope and reciprocates the hug. The two separate after hearing a cough from the front. Hope lets Sophia go and looks to the driver's seat where the twin's father is whom she has yet to meet until today. Olivia speaks up and introduces Hope to her father.
"Dad, this is Hope, our friend we met at the beginning of school."
Once Olivia finishes speaking, Hope watches as their father turns to face the three of them. Hope feels herself freeze when seeing the face of Dylan Stallard. She can feel memories of his face while trapped in a lab. Memories of him telling her she failed her tests and would soon be punished. Memories of his smile while she would be screaming in pain from all the tests and punishments. Hope regained consciousness of her body and gave him a smile pretending as if she had no idea of who this man was.
"It's nice to meet you, sir." Dylan gives Hope a small smirk. "Please, call me Dylan."
After what seemed like the longest car ride of her life, which was only really 20 minutes, they had finally arrived at the Stallard-Menken household. As the three girls exited the car Hope let out a sigh of relief. Olivia gave Hope a glance silently asking her if she was okay which Hope responded back with a nod. As she grabs her things from the car, Hope can hear the twin's father speaking to them.
"Girls, the three of you will be home alone for a bit until your mother gets back from the grocery store. I have to go back to the lab and finish a few things."
The twins both give their father a hug before he lets them go and walks over to where Hope is waiting for the girls.
"It truly was a pleasure meeting you Hope." The smile plastered on his face gives Hope an unsettling feeling in her stomach. "I would love to see you here again, don't be a stranger." The feeling in her stomach increases as if there's a hidden meaning behind his words. Hope gives him a small smile. "It was nice to finally meet you, Dylan." As he walks back to his car, the twins go to Hope leading her into their house, before entering Hope looks over her shoulder to see Dylan already watching them before the front door closes obscuring him from her view.
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Quick little authors note I casted Matthew Davis as Dylan Stallard!
