She's The Girl Who. || Avengers. [1]

iii. A Better Day

'She's the kinda girl who hope's for a better day' -

It felt like this day was never going to end for Carter as she sat in the medical bay in S.H.I.E.L.D.s Helicarrier, awaiting the results of the blood tests that doctor Banner had taken to conclude whether or not she was Tony Stark's daughter, not that she knew that anyway.

Carter couldn't manage to wrap her mind around the situation, Of course she used to wish upon every shooting star and hope everyday that she would finally find someone who would be there for her.

But now she didn't want that, if she was being honest all she wanted to do was leave, to go back to the shabby little abandoned apartment building that she had stayed at for the past year on the upper west side of new York.

To be alone and wallow in her own self pity whilst she did what she was best at, ignoring the world and her problems.

She didn't really have to go to school, instead she stole books every now and then. She had an eidetic memory meaning after reading the book she remembered everything it said, so teachers were useless.

She shook her head with an amused smile gracing her features as she recalled how desperate she was at the age of eleven to finally have a family.

Or how at twelve she finally began to realise She was going to have to get through life alone.

At thirteen she was a master pick pocket raising herself on a couple hundred a month, barely scavenging enough to pay for food and clothes.

Fourteen -- now that wasn't too long ago -- that was when she got lucky and hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D.s Database to find a picture of herself along with secured files she couldn't virtually open that she guessed was some kind of wanted note.

She didn't give herself enough time to think about it though as the next day she moved apartment buildings, heading further upstate to keep herself hidden as she turned fifteen.

Being knocked from her thoughts as Bruce walked back into the room she smiled as he awkwardly waved back.

"So, um the tests came back as... Positive... we have your father here if you --" He began to say before Carter cut him of.

"No thanks, i'm not into the whole authority figure 'Luke I am your father' thing, so i'll just be leaving now." She said standing up from the metal bed, ready to leave the way she recalled it being when she was dragged in to have her blood tested.

As she took a step towards the door Banner stood in front of her causing her stop and raise her eyebrows at him as he took a deep breath "I-- I can't let you do that." He muttered as her eyes narrowed at him, the smile dropping from her face as she looked at him.

"Look, Bruce, I was asked to answer a few questions when I was forced to come here, I did that, now I believe I should be going before one of my guardians realises I'm gone" She lief convincingly before glancing over at the small window.

Bruce nervously bit the inside of his cheek, waiting for someone to come in and help him out.

Luck was apparently on his side as Carter stepped around him just as the door opened and Tony walked in.

"Tony." Carter acknowledged as she went to open the door, a hand stopping her ass it landed on her wrist.

She looked down at it blankly for a moment before looking up to find the distraught eyes of Tony Stark, momentarily taken by surprise by the concern in his eyes her lips turned down slightly into a frown before she smiled up at him again "Need something?" She asked teasingly, looking down at her wrist that still had his larger hand wrapped around it.

"We know your lying." He stated sadly,

"About?" Carter dragged out, waiting for his answer as she dropped her hand from the door handle, officially intrigued.

"You don't live at an orphanage or in a foster home, there are no records of anyone who looks remotely like you in the system or with the same name, not since you were six." Tony told her as he quickly glanced over at Bruce who gave him a reassuring smile and a nod of his head before slipping out of the room, leaving the two alone to talk.

"Hmm, interesting, yeah well I still gotta bounce Mr. Billionaire so -- " Moving to leave again Carter only stopped when she heard Tony behind her.

"I'm your father!" He blurted "Don't go, I -- I just -- I didn't know anything about you and then I did and since then we've been looking for you a -- and I just -- I cant let you go again." Tony stuttered worriedly.

Carter's face momentarily went blank again before she shrugged casually, smirking up at him, "Good to know, we'll get coffee some time but again -- gotta bounce." 

This time it wasn't anticipation eating her alive trying to get her to run. It was fear, she didn't trust people and she wasn't planning on trusting some guy who she didn't even know that claimed to be her father.

"Please stay, I can't lose you after just finding you, I already have the legal papers to adopt you, you can live at the Avengers tower and we can -- we can try to get along" He pleaded as Carter looked at the ground.

The cocky, playboy, billionaire, Tony Stark was currently begging someone to stay.

Stay, he wanted her to stay.

No. Because to Carter, staying wasn't staying. It was being trapped without a choice and she knew that for the second time today that there was no way out and that scared her, made her want to run again like she did from the people who hurt her in the past, the ones who left her as a freak of nature, an abomination, a monster. 

Carter Chase was a creature of experiment, a mutant. And she hated it.

"Fine." She relented as Tony sighed in relief, a small smirk lighting up his face.

And it felt like, for a moment, that she'd made the right choice, that things could actually be normal, maybe she could be safe. Maybe this was a new beginning, A better day.

But then again, maybe it wouldn't. Everywhere Carter had been in the past she'd caused problems for innocent people, hurt those who didn't deserve it. 

Carter couldn't even begin to wonder what would happen if she was to go with the Avengers, the trouble and chaos she would inevitably cause, was she really worth it?