Thunderstruck

Saturdays were one of Lexi's favourite days of the week. She was finally free from having to wake up early for school and had all day to do whatever she wanted, which usually meant spending time with her friends or in her lab. Or both. The blonde was hoping today would be one of those days but she knew it might be hard to get them both on board to do something she would actually consider fun.

It was reaching ten o'clock as Lexi sat in the spare bedroom of the home she shared with her mom at the desk which was covered in an assortment of random mechanical parts. When Lexi first started to overtake the spare bedroom, it wasn't necessarily something she intended to do. Truly, she had just needed another flat surface for the additional project she was working on when her desk had become too cluttered with the two personal projects and one school project she was working on. There had been a definite amount of joy she felt the day her mother had come in, looked at the mess she'd made and told her they might as well turn it into her official lab. She'd been using the room as a lab ever since.

“Can I copy your math homework?”

Lexi turned away from the project she was working intently on and towards the sound of the voice, giving a disapproving look to the image of her best friend, Finn Walker, where it was displayed on her laptop screen.

“Why would I let you do that?” she asked. “And math is one of your best subjects, why do you need my homework?”

“Because I don’t want to do it,” Finn admitted to her. “I would honestly rather be doing anything else but my math homework.”

“You cannot copy my homework,” she told him, turning her attention back to what she was working on.

“Aw, Lex, come on, please?”

“No! The homework was so easy, you can do it in like two minutes, I’m sure of it.”

“But that would mean I have to actually do it,” he complained.

Lexi looked back over at Finn just so she could roll her eyes at him. “Don’t bother bugging Bobby, either, you know we’re better at math than he is. It’s not worth getting a worse grade.”

“Duh, that’s why I’m asking you and not him,” Finn said.

Rolling her eyes again, Lexi turned back to what she was working on. She had known Finn Walker for what honestly felt like their whole lives at this point. He had been one of the first people she’d turned to almost six years ago now when her father had gone missing because he was one of the only people who knew who her father was. It wasn’t exactly one of the facts Lexi liked to share most about herself. Especially since the story of what happened to her uncle was far more interesting than who her dad was.

Finn was the best friend someone could ask for. He was always there for her when she needed him and never questioned her on why if she didn’t prompt him. That was also what made him such a good partner in crime, he only asked the absolute most necessary questions. He was also wicked smart, just like her, and hardly ever got recognition for it outside of school. It had gotten to the point where some of Finn’s academic accomplishments were on the wall next to Lexi’s in the Quill home because there just wasn’t a place for them at the Walker home. While Lexi had been tempted to have some strong words with her best friend’s parents over their treatment of their youngest son, Finn had made her promise not to and to just let it go. He didn't need the approval of his parents when he had Lexi's mom.

“How’s your secret project coming?” Finn asked her.

“Well, it is a secret so it’d be going better if you didn’t talk about it,” she told him with a pointed look, causing him to roll his eyes.

She swore under her breath as she tried to attach two pieces together and they refused to go together. This part was important and if they didn’t fit, everything would be ruined. This couldn’t be ruined, she needed to—

“Yeah, yeah, tell me anyways.”

“This secret is going to stay a secret,” she snapped at him, her gaze intent on her project. “If these pieces will ever actually go togeth— Damnit!”

“Whoa,” came Finn’s voice, gentle and concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s this stupid piece, it won’t go where it’s supposed to go! Which means the whole thing won’t work!” she snapped at him again.

“Hey, there’s no need to yell at me.”

Lexi sighed, realizing he was right. She was frustrated at her project, not at her best friend and it was unfair of her to snap at him because of it. In truth, it wasn’t even really the project she was frustrated about. She’d come to the realization three days ago when her boyfriend had been over and trying to get her to come lay down with him as he was tired from practice and wanted to spend time with her, but she was more focused on her project. Then, well, when he had tried, yet again, to entice her away from her desk, she’d snapped him. Of course, then, just the same as now, she’d immediately felt guilty about it.

Unfortunately, knowing she was funneling her frustration about something else into this didn’t actually help all that much. Not until the other situation could be resolved and there hadn’t been much progress in that regard in… well, too long.

“I’m sorry,” she told Finn, looking at him with an apologetic look. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“First Bobby, now me. This is about—”

“What else would it be about?”

Finn gave her a look. “Why don’t you tell me about what’s not working and maybe I can help?”

“If you must know…”

Distracted by her frustration and her best friend’s offer, Lexi almost didn't catch her phone ringing on the other side of the desk. She'd been so focused on what she was working on, she didn't see the screen light up until she pulled back to show Finn the piece she was working on. It was only then her phone caught her eye and she looked over at it.

"Shit! How long have you been ringing? Gotta go, Finn, talk to you later!" she exclaimed, slamming her laptop shut and sliding her chair down the length of the desk to grab her phone, quickly answering it without looking at who it was. "Quill's Escorts, who would you like to date tonight?"

"I think that's the weirdest one I've heard from you yet."

"You're underestimating me."

"Can you blame me?"

"Nope." Lexi paused. The silence stretched on for a moment, clearly neither of them knowing how to say what they needed to say next. After another moment of silence, she couldn’t resist asking any longer. "Is there any news on where she is?"

"That's why I called," Tony Stark told her.

Even though she'd always known Tony Stark was her father, it was still a little strange to see his name come up on her caller ID. Maybe it was because she’d only recently been allowed to contact him without her mom present or maybe it was just because of everything she heard about him while out in the world. It had always been difficult to reconcile how the man she saw in person and the one she saw in the news were the same person. Especially with all the precautions Lexi’s mother had always taken around her getting to see Tony. But recently, seeing his name on her phone also usually came with the oddest mixture of relief and anxiety.

"I don't think this is the kind of conversation we should have on the phone," Tony told her. "I've sent a car for you."

"When will it be here?" Lexi asked.

"Now."

Lexi's brow furrowed as she slid backwards and craned her neck so she could see out of the room, into the living room and out the front window. Just as he'd said, there was a black SUV pulling up out front of the house and stopping right where she could see it.

"You didn't think to give me any warning?" she protested, standing up and looking for her bag. "I mean, I need a few things when I leave the house."

"This is kind of important."

"No, duh, it's important, it's about my sister!" she said, leaving her lab and heading to her bedroom where she found her bag and grabbed it. "Doesn't mean I don't need, like, at least two minutes of warning before leaving."

"Come on, don't keep Happy waiting."

"I would never dream of doing such a horrible thing to that man," she told him, opening the front door.

"I'll see you soon," Tony told her.

"That is how time works," she answered. Then paused as she locked the door, remembering she couldn’t just say things like that anymore. "I'll make it there safe, you know. Happy would never let anything happen to me."

"I know," he said.

"Okay,” she said, feeling satisfied. “Bye."

After her father said his goodbye, she hurried over to the car and slid into the backseat, giving a smile and playful greeting to Harold "Happy" Hogan, one of her father's closest friends, chauffeur and bodyguard on occasion. Happy was one of the people he trusted most in the world, doubly so when it came to his daughters. For four months, Tony had been much more protective over Lexi and though it was annoying at times, she really couldn't say she blamed him. Especially when it meant she got to have a chauffeur time-to-time and spend more time with Happy.

Four months earlier, Lexi's younger, half-sister Rosie had been kidnapped by the evil organization known as Hydra. They weren't really sure how it had happened. Or, if they were, they hadn't told Lexi about it. It was awful, having gone four months without hearing her little sister's laugh or seeing her smile. Ever since Rosie and Tony had moved to New York following the destruction of their home in Miami two years ago, the two sisters had grown much closer. Rosie and Lexi may have only been half-sisters, but Lexi adored her younger sister. The thought she was off somewhere being tortured by the evilest people she could imagine made her stomach all tie up in impossible knots and want to vomit.

In the car, Lexi sent a quick text to her mom, Kimberly Quill, to tell her she was going to be at her dad's. A second after she sent the text, she sent another one which explained why she was going: it was about Rosie. Her mom was always careful about letting Lexi see Tony, not wanting him to be a bad influence on her and she knew Kimberly was feeling even more conflicted in the last four months. On the one hand, one of Tony's daughters had been kidnapped. But on the other, it was for exactly that reason that Tony would need to know his other daughter was safe, and sometimes that meant seeing him when he wasn’t at his best.

Even though she'd always known Tony was her father, there had been a distance for most of her life. Tony had lived in Miami while Lexi had been raised in New York. Of course, being a billionaire, Tony could come out to see her any time he wanted, but that didn't mean it was frequent. Between Kimberly's own restrictions on when Tony could see Lexi and whether he actually wanted to make the effort — because there was no point in denying the kind of person he had been before he became Iron Man — to see her, it wasn't until after he returned from being kidnapped by the Ten Rings when their relationship began to develop more into what it was today.

She had been there when he'd gotten off the plane just after he'd been rescued. Lexi remembered the day vividly. She remembered standing on the tarmac, waiting for the plane to arrive, standing with Rosie in front of her, her arms hanging over her sister's shoulders as Rosie held her hands. Her heart had been beating out of her chest with the anxiety of waiting for the plane to land and prove to them he really had finally been rescued and was on their way back to them. She was sure Rosie could hear how hard her heart was beating, especially as the plane finally came into view and landed.

As soon as he stepped off the plane, Rosie had run right out of Lexi’s arms and to Tony, wrapping him in a hug he had eagerly returned. Her relationship being what it was at the time with Tony, Lexi had approached more slowly but as she got closer, Tony noticed her and looked up. She had seen the look in his eyes when he realized she had flown out to be there, when he realized how much she cared and how much it meant to him to have both his daughters there. Lexi herself had been hesitant to take the last few steps necessary to hug her father, that had never been their relationship thus far, but Tony did it for her, pulling her into the hug with Rosie and she had melted into the hug, beyond grateful her dad was actually all right.

Lexi never imagined she'd be in that situation again, only this time it wasn't her dad she was waiting to come home safe, it was her baby sister. Rosie was only eleven years old for god’s sake.

After an anxiety ridden drive through the streets of New York City, they finally reached Avengers Tower and Happy guided Lexi up to the floor Tony was on. The closer they got, the more anxious she felt until she was sure it was radiating off her in waves and anyone who saw her would become anxious as well just due to the proximity. Her mind ran through every possible reason her father could have summoned her to Avengers Tower, what it meant when he said it wasn't a conversation they should have over the phone. If Tony felt it was worthy of an in-person conversation, then it had to be big news. Hopefully good big news. She could only think of one thing which would constitute bad big news and she was hoping desperately it wasn't that. And if she was being honest, she was more than desperately hoping. She wanted to know her baby sister was okay more than she needed air to breathe.

Happy guided her to a conference room and then left her. Lexi took a breath and entered the room, seeing her dad and a redheaded woman she had gotten to be pretty familiar with and knew to be Natasha Romanoff both waiting for her. Neither of them were sitting down at the table even though they could have, so Lexi didn't either.

"What did you find out?" she asked immediately.

"Maybe... possibly… where she is," Tony told her slowly and carefully.

"What?" she exclaimed, eagerly taking a step forward. "You've found her?"

"Maybe," Natasha repeated.

"There's this Hydra base we're going to go shut down. It's bigger than the others we've gone after and we're pretty sure it's where Strucker is," Tony explained.

"Strucker? The Hydra douchebag with the stupid monocle?"

Tony fought down a smirk at her comment, trying to remain serious to have this conversation with her. "Yes, that one."

"He's the one who's in charge of Hydra's human experimentation, isn't he? That's what you told me, right? If he's there and you think Rosie is there, too, then you have to let me come with you," Lexi said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Absolutely not!" Tony protested.

"Dad—"

"I'm not putting my daughter in danger!"

"I'm not saying bring me into battle and use me as a meat shield, jeez! I want to come with you. If Rosie is there and you rescue her, there should be someone in the quinjet who can stay with her. A familiar face. You’ll all be busy fighting the Hydra bastards who hurt her and you can't just leave her alone in the quinjet after everything she's been through!" Lexi pleaded. Tony still looked hesitant so she continued. "I have no way of fighting, I haven't got a suit of my own or superpowers. I don't want to be in the fight, I can't be in the fight. But I can be there to comfort my little sister after you rescue her."

"You'll stay in the quinjet?" Tony questioned her, looking skeptical. "No sneaking out or anything?"

"No, I promise. I'll stay right there inside of it the entire time,” she assured him. “I promise, Dad."

"If she helps run comms, she'll have to stay in the quinjet," Natasha suggested.

"Yes! Exactly! I will help with comms! Please, please, she's my sister, too,” Lexi pointed out. “You're not the only one who misses her."

It may have been a bit of a low blow, but it was the truth and it seemed to do the trick as Lexi saw the dawning acceptance in her father's eyes. Not only was he realizing she was right, but also that continuing to argue with her would only lead to them going in circles for much too long. Lexi was a Stark after all.

"You better get to the quinjet, then."

Lexi smiled. It was time to get her sister back.