STARK GIRL

Changing

Back in Tony's lab, everyone circled about. The lab didn't look as bad as downstairs.
"He said he killed someone." Steve could not let this go. He eyed Claire and then looked over at Nat as she spoke.
"No, he couldn't have no one else was here but us," Nat said. She looked over at Claire. "Are you okay?"
Claire nodded. She was a bit shaken up by all this. This wasn't something she could just get used, could she?
"Not everyone," Tony mouthed. "Jarvis,"
"This looks...in human," Bruce said.
"Ultron used the internet to get out, and he tapped into every file you can think of," Nat said.
"He knows all about us?" Clint mouthed.
Nat turned over to him and eyed him. It was deep. She shook her head softly. Something Claire noticed. But she didn't think anything much of it and turned away.
Tony sadly looked at his creation, which was mulled to pieces.
Though Jarvis was an artificial intelligence, he always asked how Claire's day was or when something was bothering her. That day, she broke up with her boyfriend, Tommy. He knew. Claire had told Jarvis how she didn't want Tony to know until she told him. Jarvis politely agreed. But Claire still felt saddened by the outcome of such things.
"There-there, he wasn't meant to be in your future," Jarvis had said to her. "Just a part of one chapter, life goes on... the beauty of being human is that everything's gets a new beginning,
"Sometimes, people don't get so lucky," she said simply. Thinking of her father, her grandmother,
"But those that are lucky should take nothing but joy in it."
Claire stared at Tony. She knew how much this all meant to him, and she was starting to feel it, too. Before Claire could say anything at all, Thor marched right into the lab and lifted her brother up by the neck.
Claire found herself screeching. "Oh!"
"Enough horsing around," she heard Clint saying.
"Use your words, buddy," Tony breathed as he held on to Thors' large arms. His feet dangling in the air to keep himself up.
"I am done using my words with you, Stark... Look at what you have done,"
"Thor!" Steve ordered. "That's enough!"
Thor magically listened and dropped him.
"There is no trace," Thor said. "It ends 100 to 200 miles north. I could not find anything. " he looked to Steve as he said this.
Claire spoke. "Is he hiding?" She helped Tony up.
"Until he gets what he needs," Steve said.
"What more does he need?"
"Everything,"
Tony started laughing. Before, Claire could even hear what he had to say and give him a look of disbelief. Her cell phone rang. It was her grandfather's private line. She left the lap quickly and answered it. "Hello?"
"Oh, Claire, your grandfather had a stroke," Hannah cried through the phone.
Claire could feel her heart racing. Her stomach felt like she was being punched right out of her. Her voice was shaky...
"Is he okay?"
"Yes, but he can barely move."
Claire clenched her teeth and nodded. Whatever Tony and his Avengers had going on was something she barely had any control over. This was all still too much for her to understand. She couldn't see what mess Tony had started or what mess had unfolded, but her grandfather needed her.
"I am on my way." she hung up and began to make her way down to her room. After packing the last of her things, Claire could hear Tony calling for her. Claire turned to the door in her room and faced him.
"Where are you going?" He asked her as he eyed her backpack.
"I need a ride; my grandfather just had a stroke," her voice broke on the last word. and she started to cry.
"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry. " Tony went over to comfort her; he patted her softly. Claire took a deep breath. "Can you?"
"Yeah," he whispered. "Do you want me to stay?"
Claire shook her head. "I think we both know there is so much more going on," she shrugged softly. "Tony, I don't think I belong in this world...this is all so much for me to handle right now, and I can barely keep up with everything," Claire looked up at him. "I need time away from all this and figure out what it is to be here with you,"
"Ouch," Tony said. Tony wasn't one to shy away from showing his disappointment. Yet, he could understand why his sister felt that way. He just couldn't blame her for it.
"Here," Tony handed her a small device. As they landed on a private jet.
"What is this?"
"Pep has one, and now you do, too. " Tony pressed a black button, and it extended into a belt. "It's your own suit, but this button here," he pointed to a square one the size of her thumb. "That alerts me or Steve," Tony said it not to kindly. Somewhat bothered by it. He didn't say much.
"Tony, I'm just going to be here with my grandfather,"
"I know but it will help me feel at ease while your here and right now where going into fire, the most important metal in the world has been selling illegally outside Wakanda and we found a guy that Ultron might be after next,"
Claire nodded. "What of the twins?"
"They're not someone to worry over yet,"
Claire had known over the Russian twins as Steve and Nat went into detail over the mission during the party.
"Be careful, Tony," she waved goodbye to him as he pulled off the ground and flew off.
Claire tended to her grandfather as the days went on. She saw the news and saw how the Avengers saved the poor people in Skovira.
Claire kept herself busy. The days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. She kept in touch with Tony when she could, and one morning after her grandfather's exercise, Steve was outside her screen door.
"Steve," she breathed. "Hey, how are you?" She greeted him with a smile. She was actually very happy to see him.
"Hey, I thought I came check on a friend," He grinned. 
"Did my brother send you?"
Steve chuckled. "No, of course not,"
"Come in," she let him through."Lemonade?" She guided him into the house.
"Yes, please," Steve smiled. He looked around the farmhouse. It reminded him almost of Clint's house, but this one was much older; it needed upkeep.
"Claire, can we talk?"
"Sure, what's up?" Claire went over to the kitchen. Steve followed behind her as she pulled out a glass cup from the cupboard and filled it up with lemonade.
Steve couldn't help but wonder why so many crates of lemons sat on one corner while other lemons boiled in a pot on the stove and jars sat empty on the table.
"I'm making jam for Tony. I'm going back to New York to finish school,"
Steve took a sip of the lemonade. This was some damn good lemonade. He looked at the glass as if it would show him the secret to it.
It's fresh," Claire watched him curiously.
Steve looked away from the glass and over at Claire. He forgot how to breathe.
"So, what's up?" Claire asked. She leaned against the counter across him.
"You know, I honestly don't know what I'm doing here, only that I needed to talk to someone,"
Claire nodded softly. "You know, my grandmother used to work as a nurse during the war; that's how my grandfather..." she eyed the picture hanging up on the wall. "Fell in love with her. "She used to have the warmth of listening, and maybe that's what you need." Claire looked at Steve.
Steve could talk to Nat about anything, but sometimes, there were things he felt he couldn't share with anyone. Things were changing; the new beginnings were unfolding, and the old beginning were no longer within reach. Steve had just lost Peggy, his mind raced with grief, and he no longer saw eye to eye with Tony. But Tony was still family, and he could see that Claire not being there bothered him. It bothered Steve, too. He didn't understand it.
"I know we barely even know each other, but maybe you needed to escape something or someone,"
"Or maybe you remind me of someone," he gazed over at her.
Claire nodded softly. "It's okay to have people remind you of someone only the good kind do,"
Steve smiled. "Claire, can you do me a favor?"
Claire found herself saying, "It depends,"
Steve chuckled. "Don't ever change,"
"Life does that it makes a person change," she let out a sight.
"Everything is changing; nothing stays the same, and it's hard," Steve mouthed. "Take it from a guy who woke up 70 years later to an entirely different world,"
"It must have been hard," she breathed.
"Fortunately for me, I had the best team to get me by." he smiled widely and truthfully.
"What did my brother do?" Claire finally asked. As much as she liked Steve, she knew he must have been here for something.
"Nothing," Steve lied. "It was good to see you,"
"Yeah." Claire agreed.