Chapter 1

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"What?" I said, shocked. "That's what I thought too. I had no idea, honestly," He said. "For once in my life, I believe you," I said. "What happened to your mom?" He asked after a while. "Malekith slit her throat," I said quietly.

"Who's Malekith?" He asked. "A Dark Elf," I said. "What?" He asked, confusion lacing his voice. "It's a race. The monsters I mentioned all those years ago...that's them," I admitted. "I thought you were lying," He said.

"Oh, how I wish I was. But, there's no point in worrying. They're all dead," I said. "So everything you said was true. All of it. The kidnapping, the assassination," He said. "Yeah," I said, my shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry, kiddo," He said. "Who else knows?" I asked.

"Pep and Rhodey," He said. "I have no idea who they are," I told him. "Rhodey's my best friend, you met him in the conference room. Pep's...my fiance," He said. "Congratulations," I said. "I guess you should meet her," He said.

"I probably should. But I can't," I said. "Why not?" He asked. "I'm broke, wanted, and have responsibilities," I said. "Like what?" He asked. "I have a job, a dog, bills to pay. I can't afford a flight to New York. Even if I could, I'd be arrested the second I set foot on the ground for the Accords," I said.

"I could probably sort that out," He said. "I'm aware. It still might not be the best idea," I said. "Just think about it," He told me. "I will," I said, and he hung up. I tossed my phone down onto the couch beside me, sighing and running a hand through my hair.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into?" I asked. Onyx came up to me, nudging my leg. "Hey, girl. Come on, let's go on a jog," I said, standing up. Her tail started wagging as soon as I said jog. I changed into some running clothes and put her on a leash.

We went down onto the street, which was relatively clear since everyone was at work. We jogged around for about an hour, arriving back at the apartment with me drenched in sweat and Onyx's tongue hanging out of her mouth. When we got back inside, she made a beeline to her water bowl, lapping it up. I hung her leash up, then got myself a glass of water. Afterward, I took a shower and changed back into my other clothes.

I was watching TV when Hanna came home, smelling like hair supplies. "How was work?" I asked, not looking at her. "Like it is every day," She said, setting her bag down. "Um...do you want to go out to eat tonight?" I asked. "What's going on? Tanya, you never want to go out to eat," Hanna said.

"Something's come up," I said. "What is it?" She asked. "I'll tell you if we go out to eat," I said stubbornly. "Fine. We'll leave at 5:30," She said, and I glanced at the clock to see that it was 3:14. "Alright. Put something decent on," I suggested.

"Well, I wasn't planning on wearing my work clothes to dinner," She replied. "Yeah, yeah," I said. "Are you sure you can't tell me now?" She asked. "I'm sure," I said. She went into her room, as did I.

My eyes flickered over to the picture on my nightstand. Seeing it made me realize my life had never been simple. At around 5, I changed into some clean black jeans and a flowery blue blouse with a tie at the bottom. I met Hanna in the hall and we walked down to a restaurant, getting seats in the corner. We were sat relatively close to the restroom, which made me chuckle.

"What? What's so funny?" Hanna asked. "Once a mail carrier called me Tanya Stench," I said, smiling at the memory. "No wonder they put us by the bathroom. 'Table for one, Ms. Stench. Please, by the bathroom,'" She said, and I laughed. "Oh, I am never letting that go," She chuckled. Quickly, the topic changed from my ridiculous mistake of a last name to why we were here.

"So, what happened?" She asked. "I got...a phone call," I said tentatively. "From who?" She asked. "Tony Stark," I said, and her eyes widened. "You know him? How?" She asked.

"A story for another time. So, you know how I never met my parents? Well, Stark managed to find my dad," I said. "Who is it?" She asked. "Stark," I said, not looking at her. Her jaw almost hit the floor. "How?" She asked.

"They met,"

"They met,"

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