BOOK 1 (See sequel Under Control)
When the Avengers are given a mission to adopt and protect a fourteen year old girl who has a connection to a new, undercover Hydra organisation, they don't know what to expect.
Enter Arielle Doe. The newly adopted...
A/N: Prepare yourselves for an extra long chapter! Been working on how to end the book and I've realised that there are still so many loose ends that need to be tied up. So... There will be a sequel shortly following this book! Saying that, it's not the end of the first half of Arielle's life with the Avengers. There are still a few more chapters to go, yet. (P.S. Thank you so much for the votes, the comments and the amount of you who are reading this book - it's insane!) X
Tony POV
I wake up from my fleeting nap to yet another bout of screaming. Lately, the entire tower has been struggling to get any sleep. Not that has ever been a problem for me - I barely get enough sleep as it is, with my own anxieties keeping me awake.
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But these nightmares that Arielle has is beginning to worry many of us. Of course, it's to be expected, but none of us can tell whether Arielle is going to wake up as herself, or as a shadow of her past self. Worse is the nights when she wakes up as the brainwashed murderer that Zola intended for her to be.
I run out of my workshop and when I get to the elevator, I bump into an equally tense and panic-stricken super-soldier. "Steve!" I fret.
"Let me handle her, Stark. I'll let you know how she is once I've got her settled again."
I nod. Out of all of us, Steve is one of the best at dealing with Arielle when she has one of her night terrors, having had experience with Bucky when he was unstable for months on end, before they finally took him to Wakanda.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y. How is she?" I ask my A.I, who instinctively knows that I'm asking about Arielle.
"Unstable, boss." Is the grave reply.
I shudder involuntarily, that doesn't bode well.
Steve grabs my shoulder, staring into my eyes with such intense emotion, "Stark. I'll deal with this. You just concern yourself with looking after Pepper, she's probably worried sick." He says, tilting his head to hint at the loud wailing sound winding its way through the whole building.
I agree with him and as soon as the elevator doors open up, I run down the corridor to find Pepper while trying to ignore the increasing sound of distress from behind Arielle's bedroom door.
Steve POV
I wake up to the heartbreaking sound of crying and immediately jump up from my side of the bed, which is unfortunately the furthest from the door meaning I have to clamber over Bucky to get past.
As I quickly pull my top over my head, I hear a groan from aforementioned man, "Steve?" Bucky mumbles sleepily. Then he shoots up in a mindless panic as Arielle's screaming reaches his ears. He suddenly whips out the knife that he sleeps with.
"Buck! Bucky!" I calm him down quickly, grounding him by touching the hand that tightly clutches his knife, "It's just Arielle! She woke up again."
