The Final Initiative

21.

5 Years Later.

In the glowing embers of what was left from the mass exodus of innocent lives, a growing spark of hope was taking aflame in the night. Soon, this spark would spread through the hollow wood and catch fire. No gasoline, no crumbled up newspapers, and no match-sticks were required for what she had in store for the rest of the universe around her.

Fire burns hot, and it can represent pain and destruction. But the fire in her blue eyes was nothing short of warm and inviting, always prepared to love no matter the cost or the outcome. And what burned after the initial spark is brighter than anyone had ever known. It was unexpected, worthwhile, and undoubtedly, unconditionally good. To her father, she was known as kid, to the team she was known as little Stark, and to him, she would be known as love.

      Uprooted at the age of eight, she was thrown to the wolf... who turned out to be her guardian. He grew to cherish and care for her, far more than anyone had ever thought possible. His reactor had seemed to grew three sizes bigger for her. In the beginning, he had arrogantly lived without her. In the end, he had been ill-prepared to lose her. A lifetime could never be enough. All his life, he had gone forth selfishly and for solely himself. After she arrived all those years ago, he had strove to change for her, and also for them. In the final moments, he wished that he could've been selfish just one last time.

Selfish so that he could have more time, with her.

He- wait, these are some deep paragraphs, huh? Kind of weird to start the final story off like this. Kind of confusing is it not? I'm sure that you all have some sort of prediction as to where this is all going, but before we jump into the end, let's start off somewhere in the middle instead. That'll be less random I hope. Now... let me see... ah, here we go.

***

      In his hands, he held a singular photo of him posing with Peter Parker. Five years ago, he had lost him. She had lost him as well. The whole world had lost, because he failed to protect them like he ways said he would. He wiped the dust from the frame glass, thinking again of the fearful Spider-man as he clung to him in a desperate attempt to hold on to his life. A sigh escaped his lips swiftly as he stuck the photo back on the shelf by the kitchen sink and tossed the towel onto the table.

      In the living room of his home, he spotted a small girl sitting criss-crossed on the sofa as she munched on popcorn, a Saturday morning cartoon was on Tv. The image in front of him caused for him to pause in the door way as it all started to look familiar. A home long ago in Malibu, a girl sitting happily in the living room as she pretended to work on homework, but was sneakily watching a show about a sponge and a star fish. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, watching as his youngest daughter giggled at the jokes on tv.

      Another girl would return home from school and throw her book bag exasperatingly on the floor, popping into the kitchen for a soda that she knows that she's not suppose to have. A girl who would sneak down to the garage to catch a peak at what her father was building. A girl who would wait till the ends of the earth until her father would return home from trips or missions in his iron man suit. That same girl is now out there somewhere in the world and keeping the peace to the best of her ability.

      She doesn't call first, she doesn't write, just drops by from time to time to catch up and stay for dinner before she's back out again. He hadn't the slightest clue as to where his eldest daughter is now, maybe in the Gulf of Mexico, or possibly on the outskirts of Moscow. Or she could be down the road, who knows at this point. He turned back into the kitchen and grabbed his cell phone that was on the counter.

      He dialed her number but was sent to voicemail as per usual. The tone beeped and he pinched the bridge of his nose as he spoke.

      "Hey, it's me, as always. This is maybe the 207th time I've been sent to voice mail so if you could pick up at some point, you know, that'd be great. Um... I do miss you and uh, I hope everything's going well and everyone's doing good and, um, yeah I miss you. Just, call me back, yeah? Pepper would like to see you, and Morgan asks about you a lot and it'd be good for you to come by for them... and, and just stop by or something. Whenever you're free, I'll be here. Right, bye kid"