Prelude Six
"Has anyone seen Lainey?" Natasha sauntered into the kitchen after being called down for dinner. "I checked her room and she wasn't there."
"I haven't seen her." Bruce shook his head, handing her a plate and a large serving spoon so that she could help herself to the food that was there.
He hadn't seen much of her at all.
Ever since she was brought to the Tower, he had made it a point to stay off her radar.
And it wasn't even her fault. She seemed like a really good kid who just had a lot going on. He was just seriously afraid of hulking out in her presence.
After that helicarrier incident in New York, he wanted to be extra cautious.
He didn't want her to see him as a monster.
"I spent the last couple hours packing." Clint shrugged, popping a piece of chicken in his mouth. "She's probably looking for you."
None of the team, save for Natasha, knew where he was off to. He had a farm in a remote location with a wonderful family.
Two kids; a son and daughter, and a beautiful wife.
He didn't want anyone to know for fear of exposing their location and putting them in harm's way.
This was a secret that wasn't worth telling.
"Jarvis?" Tony called his AI.
"Alayna is not in the building."
"What?" Natasha grit her teeth, stopping exactly what she was doing. "Why wasn't I informed?"
"I was told not to say anything unless you asked."
"Jarvis, when did she leave?" Clint asked for his friend before she flipped out.
And he knew she would.
She loved that kid and the fact that she managed to slip away from the most secure building in the city, completely undetected, was unnerving.
"Alayna left the building two hours ago. She seemed very upset."
"Why?"
"Great." Steve threw his hands up in frustration. "Just great."
He knew that the conversation he and Tony had hurt her feelings, but he thought that if he gave her a little time to cool off, maybe she'd be more willing to listen to him when he spoke to her.
He shouldn't have waited.
"Steve?"
"She must've really taken what we were talking about to heart."
"What were you talking about?" Natasha's green eyes darkened dangerously.
She was just seconds away from tearing the entire city apart from top to bottom just to find Lainey.
She already had a two hour head start, so there was no telling where she was or how far she had gotten. Did she take the train into Queens? Brooklyn? Did she head upstate? Was she hurt? Was she hungry? Was she okay?
The worry that was bubbling in the redhead's chest was almost distracting, but she needed to focus and push those emotions aside in order to find her.
"I'll admit, I was a little paranoid..…" Tony came clean, albeit, reluctantly. "I didn't think she'd take it so hard!"
"She was sitting three feet away while you so graciously aired out your concerns about her, Tony." Steve deadpanned. "Why wouldn't she take it hard?"
"I know, I know. I'll fix this. I'll get her back."
"You'd better."
"Jarvis, pull up the city's surveillance footage."
After riding the elevator for about thirty minutes, Lainey decided to explore the city streets with her hands shoved in her pockets and her head cast downward.
Everything Tony said had really shaken her up.
And she was starting to believe that he was right to feel that way.
Maybe she was dangerous.
What eight year old had such a grasp of self-defense like she did?
Well…..she didn't know many other eight year olds besides the ones at school, but she didn't talk to them.
She didn't have very many friends.
So, maybe she was different.
And if she was different, she didn't belong.
That's when she decided to go home. Nobody would really notice if she left. If they all felt the same way Steve and Tony did, she was probably doing them a favor.
She missed home anyway. The creaking of the floor boards in combination with the audible footsteps of the neighbors in the hallway. The loud music and the shouts of the people on the streets below. She missed the sounds of the buses going by and the deli sandwiches she'd buy.
She missed the rumbling and screeching of the train on her way home from school, the sound of the intercom announcing what the next stop was going to be. She missed watching the different people getting on and off the train, all with their own lives to live and their own stories to tell.
For instance, the girl sitting across from her with the pink purse and the black hat? She was on her way to meet up with her date. They hadn't seen each other in a while, because he was so busy with school, but now he had some free time and he wanted to spend it with his girlfriend.
The kid standing up, scrolling through his phone? He was talking to a friend that had gotten off on the stop before this one. He liked this girl in one of their classes and he needed some advice on how to get her attention. He didn't want to do anything stupid or too obvious, he just wanted to get her to talk to him. His friend wasn't an expert on this particular subject, but he was offering moral support.
And the couple sitting down near the end of the car? They had met up with each other at the station and decided to ride home together. They both agreed to head home from work early today because they wanted to spend some more time with their kids. They had two...no, three kids. Two girls and a boy. All under the age of ten. They felt like they were working so much that they might be missing out on important milestones in their kids' lives. So the woman and the man both agreed to cut back on their hours from now on.
Lainey had always loved to people watch. It kept her busy on the ride home from school. Today was no different. With every passing stop, when people got off and new ones hopped on, she'd give them all a background to bide the time until she hit Brooklyn.
And once she got there, it was like nothing at all had changed. The streets were the same, the buildings were the same, the people who lived in those buildings were the same. The intercom and buzzer still didn't work, so Lainey had to wait for someone who lived there to open the front door for her. The hallway walls were still full of chipped paint and the elevator still reeked of alcohol and cigarettes.
But right now, was the moment of truth.
She hadn't stepped foot in the apartment since her mother had been taken into custody, so there was a large chance that none of her old stuff was in there.
The key may not even work. The lock may have actually been the only thing that changed in that entire building complex.
But to her surprise, the key fit perfectly!
And everything was still there in the same places they had been left.
Nothing had been touched or moved out of that nearly unfurnished apartment.
The couch was still was exactly how it had been left, with Lainey's bag of m&m's she had bought on her outing with Peter and Ned, sitting on top of the cushions. There was still a hole in the wall from when she had thrown that knife at Steve. And if Lainey looked hard enough, she could see the permanent scuff marks on the floor from when her mother had caught her off guard and sent her flying into the cabinets before dropping onto the floor like a sack of potatoes.
There was no mail on the floor by the door, which meant that there were no bills due.
That meant that the landlord hadn't come knocking for the rent...…or if he did, he didn't suspect that anything was wrong.
Lainey knew exactly where her mother kept the emergency money— in a small portable safe underneath the floor boards of the older woman's room.
And she didn't need a key because she had been taught how to pick locks a long time ago.
She was never allowed to be in her mother's room, but Allison wasn't around anyway, what could she do about it now?
So, using a bobby pin to do so, she found a stack of bills that would probably be enough for two months rent and then some.
She could totally make it by on her own now. Her mother had prepared her for this occasion. All she had to do, was not talk to any strangers, go to school like she was supposed to, and make sure the fridge was never empty.
That way, if child services ever came knocking, she would look like she was being well taken care of by a parent who was just always at work.
The plan was genius.
"Ow! Would you quit flicking me?" Tony glared at Natasha.
Ever since it come out that he was the reason Lainey had left the Tower, she had found several ways of inflicting mild pain on him just to show how upset she was with him.
Of course, he knew he deserved every bit of it, but his ego just wouldn't let him admit it out loud.
He felt awful about the kid running off like this and he honestly didn't think she would've.
But that didn't change what he said.
He just wasn't good with kids. It was something he had to work on.
"She'd better be in one piece when we find her, Stark." She warned, pinching his arm, making him yelp.
Besides comforting her after a nightmare, Natasha very seldom showed Lainey how much she cared about her.
But that didn't mean that she didn't.
She just didn't really know how to show it. But she was learning.
The Red Room had really screwed her up and she was unlearning, little by little, everything she had been taught about love being a weakness.
She didn't understand, but Lainey had opened something up inside of her that she didn't even know was there before.
"And she will be!" He dodged a hit as they all entered the elevator. "We literally watched her walk inside this building!"
Natasha raised her hand to hit him again, but this time, he squeezed his way in between Clint and the wall.
"Real 'adult' of you, Tony." Clint teased, offering him no help at all.
Being a father of two, he had been worried sick about this kid. He couldn't help it. If any one of his kids had left without saying anything, he would've flipped out and moved the oceans to find them.
But Lainey wasn't his kid. The sad thing was Lainey wasn't really anyone's kid. She must've been feeling pretty alone to have left in such a hurry the way she did.
She hadn't even taken anything with her. No clothes, no food, nothing.
"When we find her." He looked at his best friend. "You two need to have a talk."
This couldn't happen again. Running away was dangerous no matter how skilled or trained a person believed themself to be.
Anything could've happened to her.
And he didn't think any of them could live with themselves if something did.
"Knock, knock."
That could only be one group of people.
Lainey's head snapped towards the door of the apartment and her jaw dropped.
What were they doing here?
"Lainey?" She heard Steve's gentle voice. "Honey, open the door."
He wasn't calling her by her name. Again.
What was that about?
Lainey ultimately decided to pretend as if she hadn't heard a thing in hopes that they'd all just go away.
Maybe if she acted like nobody was home, they'd leave her alone.
But when she heard the lock click, she threw that thought out the window entirely.
The Avengers could never mind their own business, could they?
"Lainey—"
"—I don't wanna talk to you." Lainey cut Steve off before he could even start. "Any of you."
She wasn't looking at him, but if she had, she'd have noticed the very hurt look on his face.
The man wanted nothing more than to make things right. He cared very deeply for her and he was hurt by the fact that he had somehow managed to hurt her.
He didn't know what he would do if she couldn't forgive him.
"Alright, I made this mess, so I need to fix it." Tony shoved his way through the doorway. "Go take a walk or something. We'll be okay here."
"Stark—"
Nobody needed Tony to mess this up. If he did, Lainey might run away again.
"—Natasha, I will fix it."
The redhead glared at him momentarily before ushering everyone out of the apartment.
This had better work or he would have to answer to her. She was not losing that kid again.
"So….." Tony finally sat down next to Lainey on the couch after a few minutes of agonizing silence.
He had been standing by the closed door for what seemed like the longest time, looking like a complete fool. And now the cat caught his tongue?
Lainey just gave him a blank look and turned the tv on, cranking up the volume.
He was wasting his time. There was nothing that he could say or do to to make this better.
She wasn't going back.
She would, however, continue to ignore him. Tony was one of those people that couldn't stand to be ignored. Maybe she'd hurt his ego by doing so and that would make him leave.
But all Tony did was take the remote and shut it off.
So Lainey got up and went to her room thinking he wouldn't follow.
And she soon realized she was wrong when he did.
"Leave me alone."
"Just give me five minutes to say what I came here to say and then I'll leave." He looked around the child's room, fighting the urge to cringe.
All that was in the room was a bed and a nightstand. No bureau, or television, no toys or games.
He had been raised never knowing what it felt like to go without, but it looked like Lainey had only ever known how to be without.
The room's light wasn't the brightest and there about five outfits in her closet; and one of those outfits was a leotard with tights. To top it off, the sheets on her bed were ripped and stained. There was no possible way they had been keeping her warm.
Little things that he brushed aside were luxuries to Lainey.
And he was beginning to see that.
"Okay." Lainey walked over to her alarm clock and set it for five minutes on the dot. "Talk."
"I was wrong." He ultimately ended up saying. "I shouldn't have said any of what I said earlier. You're just a kid and it wasn't right."
"Are you really afraid of me?"
Was she really something to be afraid of? Something to keep away? Someone that others avoided?
Was that why he didn't like her? Was that why the rest of the team kept their distance?
"No." He shook his head. "Ever since Loki invaded New York, I've been a little..…testy. It takes me a while to get used to new people. It has nothing to do with you."
"Oh." Lainey mulled his words over.
There wasn't really much to add.
"Now will you come home?" He asked, hoping she'd say, 'yes'.
"I don't belong there."
"What do you mean, you don't belong? Ever since you left, everyone's been a mess!"
"Huh?"
"Barton postponed his trip, Natasha's been threatening me with bodily harm, Bruce is worried sick about you, and I'll bet you twenty bucks, Cap's ready to bust the door down."
That got Lainey to giggle.
Steve would look kind of funny busting the door down.
And what would the neighbors think?
They'd hear a loud bang, rush out of their apartments only to find Captain America standing in front of a fallen door.
Would they call the police? Would they want his autograph?
The possibilities were endless.
"We like having you around. You fit right in, kid. But in order to finish the puzzle, you've gotta come back with us."
This time, Lainey didn't say anything.
"So, this is where you live?" Tony decided to change the subject so she wasn't overwhelmed. "Cozy."
Lainey knew exactly what she was doing, and she was grateful.
Because no one in their right mind would think that this room was cozy. Now, her mother's room? That was cozy. Her bed was soft and she had beautiful curtains on her window, her closet was full and her sheets were warm.
She wouldn't give Lainey any of those nice things because she hadn't earned them.
But after the Avengers took Allison into custody, instead of dumping her somewhere worse or throwing her in a cell right next to her mother, they gave her a room where the floorboards didn't creak and the sheets weren't old and ripped.
The paint wasn't peeling off the walls and her closet wasn't lacking. She had books to read and games to play. She was never hungry or cold.
And maybe...just maybe if they were giving her all these nice things, it meant that they did like her and they weren't afraid of her.
"Mr. Stark?"
"Yeah, kid?"
"Did you really mean what you said?" She picked at her nails. "You all like having me around?"
"Of course I meant it. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't."
Lainey honestly didn't know how she had gotten so trusting of these people, these strangers, these…..Avengers.
But against all her trained instincts, she stood up, walked back to the living room, and opened the front door, revealing the rest of the team.
They looked like little kids who had just been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
It was certainly a sight to see.
Natasha was on Steve's back while Bruce and Clint were leaning over each other, straining their ears in order to hear what was going on inside.
"I'm hungry." She was really incapable of expressing her true feelings, so this was all she could come up with. "Can we stop at McDonald's before we go home?"
And it was like the tension in the air had been sucked away with a vacuum.
"McDonald's isn't healthy." Steve couldn't help himself, obviously not catching the joke. "I don't know how you—"
But he cut himself off when he saw the smile on her face.
One stop wouldn't hurt.
As long as she kept smiling like that, he thought he'd give her the world.
They all would.
"So what's all this stuff?" Natasha inquired, jiggling Lainey's overnight bag before dropping it back onto her bed.
Since she had been in Brooklyn, Lainey decided that she might as well pack what little bit she had in the apartment and take it back with her.
"Things."
"What kind of things? Top secret things?"
"No." Lainey managed a giggle. "Just some stuff from the apartment…...and some money."
"Money?" Natasha quirked an eyebrow as she gracefully sat down on the bed, patting the space beside her. "For what?"
"To pay you back." Lainey shrugged, digging through the bag to pull out the roll of bills. "Did you know that kids are really expensive?"
She didn't need the money for rent or food anymore. But the least she could do was repay everyone for allowing her to stay with them.
Her mother had always said that she was a lot more expensive than she looked.
"I know, but money isn't an issue here. We're not gonna take it." Natasha pushed the child's hand away.
"But how will I pay you back?"
"You're not going to."
"Huh?" Lainey tilted her head. "Then what am I supposed to do? You won't let me train and you won't let me give you the money..…"
How was she supposed to earn her keep? And why wasn't Natasha letting her?
"You're supposed to stay here and be a kid. That's all that's expected of you. We enjoy your company and you don't particularly get on my nerves, so I think I'll keep you."
I think I'll keep you.
No one had ever...wanted Lainey before.
This was new.
"No strings attached?"
"No strings attached…..although, if you really want to do something, I can think of two things." The Russian could tell that Lainey was feeling a little put out by the fact that she wasn't being allowed to do anything to 'earn her stay'. So, she figured she'd throw her a bone.
"Like what?" Lainey perked up.
"One, every Wednesday is my day to cook for the entire team. I usually do it all by myself, but I wouldn't mind having a little helper beside me."
"I don't know how to cook." Lainey deflated all over again. "No one ever taught me."
"Perfect." Natasha flashed her a million dollar smile. "I can mold you from scratch."
"Okay! I'll cook with you! What's the second thing?"
Lainey didn't expect to see the redhead's features harden so quickly, so she was surprised when Natasha went from smiling at her, to glaring.
"Don't you ever leave this Tower without the company of an adult again." The woman pointed a scolding finger at her. "If you have a problem, then you find one of us and you talk about it. You don't leave without saying a word. And you don't tell Jarvis to keep secrets. Got it?"
"Got it." She nodded. "Promise."
"I'm glad we understand each other." The look lasted a few more seconds before it was dropped. "Now, it's getting late and you should be in bed, but I'm willing to forget about that if you come out and watch a movie with the rest of us."
"I can?"
"You can."
"Let's go!" Lainey shot up and tugged on Natasha's arm, pulling her into the common space where the rest of the team was.
And like children younger than Lainey, they were in the midst of bickering over what movie they wanted to watch.
"We saw 'The Sword in the Stone' two months ago!" Clint rolled his eyes.
"Okay?" Tony huffed. "And we saw 'The Terminator' last month!"
Lainey was quickly learning that this was something that occurred quite often.
The exasperation written all over Steve's face was enough of a clue.
"Guys, enough." The blonde shook his head, doing his best to mediate the situation without actually getting involved. "Just pick a film."
"You'd think you were asking them to choose a favorite child." Bruce chuckled. "The Magic School Bus'."
"That's not even a movie!"
"Science! Now there's something I can agree on!"
"Boys!" Natasha shouted over the commotion, successfully bringing the argument to a close.
Whenever she spoke, they listened.
No one with common sense would want to cross her.
"What?" Tony snapped before he saw Lainey. "Hey, kid, nice of you to join us."
"I think I can solve your issue."
"How?"
"Let Lainey choose the movie."
"Good idea." Steve clapped his hands together. "Go ahead Lainey."
"I wanna watch 'The Wizard of Oz'." The eight year old spoke sheepishly.
"Again?" Steve chuckled, calling back to that night they enjoyed it together.
"Yes."
It didn't seem like anyone was in objection. It was a nice film, good music, nice plot.
And it was better than anything they had come up with.
Besides, it was Lainey's first movie night with everyone, so why shouldn't she be able to pick the film?
"Jarvis? Put on 'The Wizard of Oz'." Tony waved a hand. "I guess we're going back to the thirties today."
"Come sit." Steve made room on the couch for Natasha, who plopped down beside him.
But Lainey bit her nail trying to figure out exactly she could sit without disrupting their little system.
"Lainey." Natasha reached out for her and Steve lifted her up to sit in between them. "Comfy?"
"Uh huh." Lainey nuzzled in.
"Good."
Like pieces of a puzzle.