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[21] In Which Answers Are Given

When my father died, I was given his cell phone, and a few of his other radio caller devices. Today, I was using them both to my advantage. Going through his cell phone first, I found old pictures he never deleted, and his last text messages, voice mails, and last calls were heartbreaking. Every single one of them seemed to be to my mother, a couple to Fury, and a few to Hill. Text messages would have to wait, because now I was going to make a call to the spy himself. I entered the Tony's living room and stood directly in the center of it, just so I could tell if someint was coming. I scrolled through his contacts until I reached 'Fury, Nick', and I clicked his name. The phone started to ring, and I held it up to my ear.

"Hello Ms. Coulson?" Fury's oh so excited voice said on the other end. Note my sarcasm.

"Nick, I have some questions. And I demand answers. Too long have I been in the dark." I said sternly. I heard Nick sigh on the other end, and he had this kind of defeated tone about him.

"Very well, you do deserve answers, therefore, I will give them to you. Please, meet me in your old house later tonight, say around 7:30, and come alone." Fury said, and I could tell he was sincere. I looked at the clock. 4:30. I agreed, and he hung up the phone. Finally, I was getting what I wanted. I decided to go through my father's old photos next, despite my better judgment. I opened the photo app on the phone, and started scrolling through the many photos of me as a child, he and I, and him and my mother. He looked so happy with her, their smiles bright and wide. I smiled, too, and zoomed in on my mother's face. I had her eyes, her hair, her smile, her everything. The last picture my father had was of him, mother, and....me. They were in the hospital, and this one was different from the one on the house. In this one, they both were kissing my cheeks, and I was smiling. Wait, babies don't smile right away, right? It takes them a few weeks to smile for the first time, so why was I smiling then? I know I'm special and all, but that's kinda freaky to me.

"Cynthia? What're you doing?" Bruce asked, entering the room. Startled, I almost dropped the phone, but I played keep it off of the ground with my palms and clutched it to my chest.

"N-Nothing!" I gasped, shutting the phone off.

"That sure didn't look like nothing." He said, crossing his arms and smirking at me. I shoved the phone in my pocket and nervously smiled. He walked towards me, and I, being who I am, took several steps back. He chuckled and took bigger steps, making me laugh.

"Seriously, don't make me run. I have an important meeting tonight." I said in between my laughter.

"A meeting? With who?" Bruce asked, now in front of me.

"With, uh, with Fury." I mumbled. His eyes went wide, and I looked down. True, I was a little nervous with what Bruce had to say about it. I mean, neither of us really like Director Fury, but I can't lie to him. He gripped my arms gently, forcing me to look at him.

"Why? I thought you hated each other?" He asked.

"Look, I need answers. Answers to everything and answers about my mother. I need to know how and why I am who I am, and I need to know more about my father. Remember, I only spent a couple of years with him, and I was young, so I didn't ask questions." I muttered softly. Remembering the short amount of time I spent with my father brought tears to my eyes, but I blinked them back. I'm so sick of crying.

"I'll go with you."

"No, Fury wants me to go alone. He specifically told me to come alone." I said, removing Bruce's hands from my arms. I walked to our room and plopped down on the bed. I had three hours until my very important meeting, Marie was with Tony AND Pepper, and I had a feeling Bruce and I wouldn't be talking until later tonight. I sighed and went through my dad's pictures again, smiling at each and every one of them.

_______________________________

"Ah, Ms. Coulson, I'm glad you made it. And I see you've dressed for the occasion." Fury said, with one of his 'smiles'. I had changed into the outfit I wore on my date with Bruce, thinking that I would treat this as a formal meeting.

"All the same to you, Director Fury." I said coolly. I stepped up to the front door, unlocked it, and opened it. Fury entered first, and I follwed, shutting the door behind me. I didn't need to show him to the living room, since he had come here many times before. I entered the kitchen, grabbed two glasses, and filled them both with tap water. I carried them back into the living room, handed Fury a glass, and sat down on the couch. I set my glass on the coffee table, and Fury sat down on the couch across from me.

"So, you said you're looking for answers?" Fury asked.

"Obviously, otheriwse I wouldn't have either called you nor would I be sitting here with you." I replied with a smile.

"Well, ask away. I will see what I can answer." He said. I sighed, and pulled out the phone from my pocket. I opened the photo app again, and found the picture of my dad and my mom. I held it in front of him and he gave me a look.

"Explain." I demanded. Fury took the phone from my hand and studied it closely, or as closely as you can with one eye.

"This is Veronica Georphy. She and your father were in a long-term relationship for as long as I can remember. Your father loved her a lot, and she him. She tried so hard to hide her powers from him, but being the man he is, Phil found out and loved her even more. We wanted her to help us at S. H. I. E. L. D, but your father kept her out of the light, just as she wished. He hid her from all sorts of government officials that wanted to experiment on her, to test her abilities. He made sure she was safe, but then they had you." He paused, and I felt guilty. Fury sipped his water before continuing.

"After they had you, Veronica feared for your safety. You were and still are an unusual person. You smiled right away and you laughed instantly. She knew that you were going to have her powers right away, and almost instantly, the government wanted you both. So, one night, she ran through the streets of this neighborhood, trying to get these men off of your tails. She placed you on Phil's doorstep, which was all part of the plan, and he quickly pulled you inside the house. She cirled back, and he dragged her inside as well. That night ended with Veronica leaving in a hurry after saying her goodbyes, and promising to return on what she called 'Freak's Word'. She left Phil brokenhearted, and he told us all that he was going to propose to her that night. The years went by, and Veronica still hadn't returned. Phil grew more and more worried, you could see it in his eyes. That's why he looks so distraught in those pictures upstairs." Fury finished.

"And my mother, she never returned?" I asked quietly. Fury nodded, and tears once again stung my eyes.

"She was captured by the government three years after she left Phil. She was on her way back to him when it happened. He was desperate to get into work those days, to find any trace her. But, the experiments Veronica was used for was too much. They killed her." Fury added in a grave voice.

At this point, I was standing, clutching my arms close to my chest, tears pouring down my face. She really was gone. Taken from the two people who loved her. I never really knew her, but I could tell we would've been close.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Coulson. If you have any other questions, send me a message. I must go now." Nick said, and he left silently. When I heard the front door close, I rushed up to my old bedroom and sat on my old bed, crying a river. This is why dad kept me inside all those years. He wanted me to be safe. I miss him so much. I miss mom so much. I couldn't go back to Stark Tower that night. I had to stay there and think things over, and that's just what I did.