Adopted Assassin [COMPLETED]

Chapter 23

.23
TESSA: STARK TOWER
PRESENT DAY

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Dad didn't send me back to bed after that. All of us sat in silence in Natasha's living room. After a while, I slammed the table, making everyone jump out of their seats. "We can't just sit here and wait for another elf attack. We have to do something," I said.

"Well, we kind of knew that, Tessa," Dad sassed.

"This isn't really a laughing matter, Stark," Natasha said. "Someone could've gotten hurt. And I couldn't do anything about it. I feel so useless."

"It was a Dark Elf, Nat." Clint patted her on the shoulder. "There wasn't anything you could do about it."

"Well, there's something that I can do about it," I said. My sword appeared in my hands. "I'll be back in just a couple of -"

"No," Loki interrupted. I glared daggers at him.

"What?" I asked him.

"You are not going to Svartalfheim again. Not alone." His spear appeared at his side. Everyone took a step back except Thor, Bucky, and I. "I am coming with you this time."

"If you are going, then I am coming as well," Thor stated. He put his arm on Loki's shoulder.

"You two are not being dragged into what I have started." I motioned my sword towards them.

"You didn't start anything," Dad corrected. "And you are not going to finish it, either. Not by yourself."

"Yeah. You're an Avenger now," Steve said. "We do this kind of stuff together."

"I don't want any of you getting hurt," I argued. "Not because of me."

"We'll get hurt for doing our job," Bruce reassured, but wasn't reassuring at all.

There was a sudden crash from the kitchen. I saw a flash of red. I teleported over there to be bombarded with the sight of my worst fear: loss.

I stood there, frozen to the ground. I couldn't move no matter how hard I tried. I watched as the Avengers fought on the damaged streets of New York. They were losing. One by one, they fell to the ground. Dad, Clint, and Bucky were the final ones standing. Bucky called out to me, telling me to help them. But I could do nothing as he fell. Clint ran out of arrows and was fighting with nothing. He dropped to the ground. I watched as Dad's suit was slowly torn to pieces and a leg swept him off of his feet. He fell. I cried out as the queen stepped over him. 'This is all your fault. You should've never been found in the first place. They all died because of you.' She smiled at me as she drove a spear through my father's stomach.

My sight came back to the kitchen. I gasped for air. Anxiety attack. Great. I grasped one of the chairs and breathed. In. Out. In. Out. I put my head in my hands. When I looked up, I saw a brunette standing across the table from me. She had a sympathetic look on her face. I pushed off of the chair and backed into the wall. I sank to the floor, crying, trying to calm down. She walked slowly over to where I was and knelt down beside me. I scooted away from her when a blonde man appeared on my other side. A purple skinned man in a cape flew in front of me. "W-Who a-are y-you?" I asked shakily. The brunette smiled.

"I am Wanda. This is my twin brother Pietro." She pointed to the man on my right. "This is Vision." She gestured for the purple skinned man to land. The man called Pietro scoffed.

"Hey, Stark, you didn't tell her about us?" He called over the counter.

"I figured she should meet you in person," Dad called back. "We're all going to the main floor for breakfast. Come on up when you're done."

"W-What d-did I j-just see?" I asked, still not recovering from the vision.

"It's just this thing she does," Pietro said. "And your name is..?"

"T-Tessa," I stuttered. "Why did y-you scare m-me like that?" I asked, letting out a nervous laugh. The nightmare kept running throughout my mind.

"We had just returned from a mission," Vision said. "We had meant nothing by it."

"Y-You sound like JARVIS," I said. He smiled.

"We'll have to explain that later," Wanda said. She helped me up and hugged me. "I am sorry for making you see that. It's a habit for everyone I meet."

"N-No worries." I sniffled. "I-I've had nightmares b-before." Why can't I stop stuttering? Ugh! I sound like such an idiot.

"I don't think that you sound like an idiot," Wanda said, cocking her head. My eyes widened. "It is something I do. Again, I will explain later." Steve walked over. Apparently, he stayed.

"Did your mission go as planned?" He asked Vision. He nodded.

"Target was exterminated without a problem."

"Why did you send all three of us? One man. It would've been easier to send one, no?" Pietro questioned.

"I didn't want to risk anyone getting hurt without backup," Steve answered. Pietro gave it a thought, then nodded in agreement.

"So," I started, "HYDRA gave you powers? That's what I thought until — until my mother said otherwise."

The twins gaped at me.

"Hey, you're not the only one who reads minds." Pietro laughed.

"I like this one." He ruffled my hair gently. "She is funny. Agreed?" He looked at Wanda, who smiled. I then turned to Vision. I gasped.

"The Mind Stone," I breathed.

"How did you know of this?" Vision asked.

"I-" I paused. "I don't know, actually. It kind of just came to mind."

"Weird," Steve said out loud. He clapped a hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry." He looked at the floor.

"It's okay, Steve. I've had a lot of weird experiences in the last 8 years of my life." We all laughed. I glanced out the window and saw the sun peeking out over the buildings of New York. "It's morning. Finally." I sighed. "Now I'm hungry. Who else is starving?" I clapped my hands and ran over to the stairs. Pietro super-sped in front of me.

"Race?" He asked with a smirk on his face. I nodded, hoping to beat him with my teleportation.

"On three," I said. We positioned ourselves in place. "THREE!" I yelled, and started to run up the stairs.

"Hey!" Pietro called. I felt him zoom past me and I teleported to the kitchen, where I saw Pietro stopping. "It was a tie, yes?" He asked me. I nodded eagerly. "Never had one of those," I heard him mutter. We sat down at the table where the Avengers were seated. I dug into the pancakes that were sitting in front of me. Wanda, Vision, and Steve soon sat down with the rest of us. Pietro told me about saving Clint's life when Ultron came. I glared at Clint.

"You really are a damsel in distress, aren't you?" I asked. "Can't go on a mission without needing saving." Everyone laughed. I told Wanda, Pietro, and Vision my story and what had been happening over the course of the few weeks they were gone. When I was done, I looked around. I saw everyone happy. Laughing. Everyone getting along. A family. My family. I wasn't alone anymore. I felt wanted.

A commotion outside interrupted my thoughts. The tower suddenly started to shake and rumble. Things flew off the shelves. Everyone ducked for cover. A glass shard flew at my face and cut my cheek. I crawled over to the window and looked at the sky.

A portal tore open the sky, with millions of Dark Elves pouring out.

I think the war has started.