Tony POV
"You have a daughter, Tony." Those five words kept ringing in my head as I sat there in Nick's office. He had gone to go do something. If he had mentioned it, I wasn't paying attention. I was a little distracted.
A daughter? Are you kidding me? I can't be a father! I can't be that responsible, especially for another human that I gave life to. What if I turn this kid into a screw up? I don't want that kind of pressure on my shoulders! I can't do this! Are they even sure this kid is mine?
I heard the door open and softly shut. I felt a small hand on my shoulder. I immediately knew it was Pepper. She didn't say anything at first, just kept her hand there as I stared off into space, thinking.
"Nick told me," she said quietly, "I don't know what to say, Tony." I didn't answer for a while, just continued staring off.
"There is nothing you can say, Pepper. You didn't do anything." Pepper sighed quietly as she dropped her bag to the ground, making her way over to stand in front of me. Crouching down, she levels her face with mine as she cups my cheeks with her small hands and looks me in the eyes.
"It's going to be okay, Tony. You'll find a solution. You always do." I gave her a soft smile as I pulled her to sit on my lap. She makes herself comfortable as I move a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"What if I screw this kid up? What if she's already screwed up? Pepper, I can't do this. I'd be a horrible fath-" Pepper silenced me with a soft kiss.
"Don't say that," she said after she pulled away. She looked into my eyes seriously as she continued. "I'm sure you will be a wonderful father. Tony, you can do this." I looked back at her and sighed.
"You know you're good at this kind of stuff. You should be one of those motivational speakers that goes and talks to kids. You'd be good at that." Pepper shook her as she let out a small laugh. She opened her mouth to say something, but we were interrupted by the sound of a door opening.
"Tony, would you like to meet her?" Fury asked me quietly. I looked at him, than back at Pepper. She nodded her head in encouragment.
"Sure," I responded lamely as Pepper got up from my lap, pulling me up in the process.
She held my hand reassuringly as Nick led us down into where my . . . daughter was. I had asked to not be told anything about her, so I didn't even know this girl's name. I could feel the nervousness building up in my chest as my heart began to beat rapidly again. What if she hates me, I thought to myself as we rounded yet another corner. What if she doesn't want me in her life? I know I said I didn't want a kid, but to still be rejected by your own flesh and blood. . .
We stopped at the outside of a big metal door. This was it.
"Are you ready to meet your daughter, Tony?" I nodded my head hesitantly. It's now or never, Tony. You got this, big guy.
Nick opened the door, and there sat my daughter.
Isadora POV
I was awoken from my deep sleep by a pretty redhead woman wearing a skin-tight, dark blue suit.
"Are you Isadora?" She asked me with a polite smile as she crouched down.
"Y-Yes," I responded quietly. I was never really much of a talker and whenever the oppurtunity to do so came up, my voice always trembled.
"Well, Isadora. Why are you sleeping in an alley?" She asked me quietly with a sincere expression on her face.
I had fallen asleep here last night, not being able to walk anymore from the extreme cold and hunger I was experiencing. I spotted the alley around the time I thought I was going to die for sure that night, and thanked the heavens I found it. I usually slept in alleys or behind buildings, so it didn't bother me at all. Dare I say it, but I was actually comfortable.
"I a-always sleep in a-alleys," I responded in a whisper. Her expression turned to one of sadness. Why on earth was she sad?
"You don't have a home?" the pretty woman asked me with a frown. I shook my head to answer no, and her frown deepened.
"Well, that's going to change." she said with a firm voice. My eyebrows shot up in suprise at her words. What did she mean by that?
"My name is Natasha," she said as she extended her hand, "I work for a goverment agency named S.H.I.E.L.D, which stands for-"
"Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division," I interrupted her quietly, "I-I know." She looks at me with a smile.
"You've always been a smart one, haven't you?" Natasha questioned with a smirk. I nodded my head.
I had always excelled in my academic studies. I was actually a senior in high school, even though I should be a freshman. Everything just came to me naturally. Especially math, science, and languages. My teachers were astonished that I could pass the advanced courses so easily. I checked out language books from the Boston Public Library all the time, so I could speak Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Greek fluently. It came in handy a lot.
Even thought I didn't have a school or family, I still had enrolled myself in school when I ran away. I had paid some people to act as my parents so the school wouldn't get suspicious. I also did it under a fake name and had gotten fake copies of birth certificates, social security and all that. Since I never got in trouble, the school never needed to see my non-exsistent parents.
"You're going to have to come with me, Isadora." Natasha said as she stood back up. I looked at her with an expression of fear etched on my face.
"A-Are you taking me t-to the orphanage? Are you a-arressting m-me?" I stuttered as tears welled up in my eyes. Natasha's facial expression immediately softened as she looked at me.
I had bad experiences with the orphanage. Believe it or not, Boston only had one orphanage. Sundance Orphanage was not as cheery as it sounded. The director there, Mr. Hortz, was very cruel to the children there. Always beating us, he worked us to the bone as we starved and froze during the winter. I had finally had enough when I turned five and ran away, beginning the life I now live today.
"No, no sweetheart," she said, "We're here to help you. I'm going to take you to the S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters. We have some news you might want to here." News? What kind of news, I wonder.
"O-Okay," I responded as I shivered from the cold. It was winter time here in Boston, and schools just let out for the holiday break yesterday. That meant that I had to spend most of the day outside since I wasn't in the school building.
Natasha grabbed my backpack for me as I got up from the icy ground. I wrapped my thin jacket around me tighter, trying to stop the winter chill from going in.
"This way," she instructed as she walked out of the alley towards a sleek, black car. She opened the back door for me and I climbed in without a word, marveling at the magical machine as she got into the driver's seat.
"You look pretty amazed at all this," she said as she turned onto the road, "Why is that?"
"I-I've never ridden in a car before," I spoke quietly. I saw her frown through the rearview mirror. What's with all the frowning?
"Well, what do you think of it?" She asked as she continued driving on the busy streets of Boston. I marveled at the way she easily swirved in and out of traffic, speeding along the black ice roads.
"I-I thought it would be more of a t-terrifying experience." She laughed at my words. The rest of the car ride was spent in silence as she concentrated on the road and I looked around at the city known as Boston. It really was a beautiful place. The gigantic buildings, the many people walking around. It was nice.
I noticed the car stop and I looked in front of me to see a small jet. It looked very nice and expensive. The black jet had the S.H.I.E.L.D logo on the side of it.
I got out of the car quickly, grabbing my backpack as I shut the door. Natasha had already made her way to the stairs of the plane. I walked over to her speedily, not wanting to keep anyone waiting.
"So I take it you've never been in a plane either?" she asked with a small smile. I returned the gesture and nodded my head. Natasha didn't say anything after that, just motioned with her hand for me to get into the plane.
I walked up the steps carefully, feeling intimidated by such a big machine. I entered the jet to see luxurious, leather seats scattered around it. Some were lined up against the wall of the jet while others were alone. Carpet lined the floor and tables were neatly placed near the seats.
I felt a presence behind me and turned to see a muscular, tall man with short, blonde hair. I immediately jumped and moved away from him, turning towards him and holding my backpack to my chest as if it would actually protect me.
The man had a confused expression on his face and it softened as he noticed my trembling.
"Oh, I'm sorry, miss," he apologized quietly, "I didn't mean to frighten you. My name is Steve Rogers." I stared at him, trying to judge his character. He looked very familiar.
Before I could say anything, Natasha walked into the plane.
"I see you've met Captain Rogers," she said with a smile before she went and took her seat. Oh! He's Captain America! Now I know why he looked so familiar! We had read about him briefly in History class. I found his story absolutely fascinating. It was quite sad, though. Poor guy, waking up in a completely different world. Must be tough.
"H-Hello," I say quietly when I realized that I was just standing there staring at him.
"What's your name, miss?" He asked politely as he sat down and buckled himself in. Natasha motioned with her eyes for me to do the same. I picked the seat closest to Natasha and buckled the seatbelt.
"Isadora," I say. His eyebrows raised in interest.
"Isadora? That's not a common name. Beautiful, but not common. What ethnicity is it derived from?" He questioned as I felt the jet's engines slowly begin to turn. A voice came on throughout the plane.
"Okay, everyone. We are ready for takeoff. If you haven't already, please fasten your seatbelts. We should arrive in New York in about 2 hours. Thank you." Suddenly, the feeling of being airborne hit me and I looked outside the window to see we were quickly going up into the clouds. It was so beautiful.
Remebering that Steve had asked me a question, I turned back to him. "It's G-Greek."
"Really?" He said, "That's interesting. Are you of Greek heritage?"
I nodded my head. "Yes, my m-mother was from Kozani, a s-small city in the West Macedonia r-region of Greece." Steve smiled as I spoke.
"That's very nice. I've heard Greece is very beautiful. Have you ever been?"
I shooke my head no. "Unfortunately, I have n-not. Hopefully, s-some day. I would like t-to go and s-see where my f-family comes from." Steve nodded, not adding any comments. It was silent for a while until Natasha spoke up.
"Isadora," she said quietly, "S.H.I.E.L.D has looked at your official file. It's been empty since you were five. The government had lost sight of you. Do you want to tell me what happened?" I thought about it for a second, pondering whether I should tell them or not.
"W-Well," I began, "I r-ran away from the o-orphanage when I w-was five. Th-the director there was very m-mean and . . ." I hesistated, not wanting to tell them anymore. What if I got in trouble?
"Sweetie, you need to tell us everything. It's very important that you do." She said quietly as she leaned foward in her seat. Steve had leaned foward as well, resting his elbows on his knees.
"O-Oh, well . . . h-he would . . . b-beat u-us." I stuttered out quietly as I held onto my backpack. Steve looked angry while Natasha remained calm.
"Is that it?" She asked quietly. I shook my head. "What else did he do?"
"H-He made us w-work a l-lot. C-cleaning and d-doing stuff around the h-house. . . H-He didn't r-really feed us t-too much either. I-I usually ate about e-every two t-to three days." Steve's eyes widened.
"Days?" He asked with a raised voice. I shrunk back in my chair, not wanting him to hit me in anger. "What do you mean days?" Before Steve could continue, Natasha put a hand on Steve's shoulder.
"Steve, you're scaring her." She whispered to him. He looked at Natasha than back to me with an apologetic face.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to scare you." I nodded my head in understanding. Natasha had stopped asking questions, probably not wanting to frighten me anymore. The rest of the trip was silent, but I didn't mind. It gave me time to think.
What kind of news did S.H.I.E.L.D need to share with me? Was it really that important? I tried to think of all the possible things it could be. Natasha said they weren't taking me back to the orphanage or arresting me. Maybe . . . Maybe they found a long lost relative. Oh, how wonderful that would be. Maybe . . . Maybe they found one of my parents.
Probably not, I thought to myself. You're parents are probably dead, Isadora. Deal with it. Suck it up. You don't need love, you don't need love.
I had completely zoned out during the journey, and barely noticed when we landed. Natasha instructed me to unbuckle myself and go outside into the waiting black car. She said her and Steve would be there in a minute and that they needed to discuss some things. I nodded my head obediently, not wanting to cause any trouble.
I made my way outside of the plane and immediately shivered. It was even colder here than in Boston. Lovely.
I shivered violently as I made my way over to the parked car and got into the backseat. Thankfully, no one else was in here. Talk about awkward.
I waited patiently in the car for Steve and Natasha, not wanting to interrupt them. They probably needed to discuss some classified S.H.I.E.L.D information not meant for all ears. I wonder what it could be about.
About a minute later, I saw Natasha and Steve make their way down from the plane and head towards the car. They got in quickly, trying to escape the bone chilling cold.
"It's freezing," Natasha muttered as she started up the car. She drove out of the lot and onto the main streets of New York, soon hitting the famous traffic. I looked up at the huge buildings around me. They were so tall, seeming as if they touched the sky. Hence, the name skyscraper. I looked around at all the people walking around the city, going on with their normal lives.
Steve looked back at me from the passenger seat and notced what I wore. I had on dirty blue jeans, a long-sleve black shirt, and a thin pink jacket covered in grime. I wore an old pair of off-brand blue converse, torn up with holes and extremely filthy.
"Are you cold?" He asked with a small frown. Lie, Isadora. The truth hurts. Literally.
I shook my head rapidly. "You sure?" He asked again, uncertain. I nodded my head. He sighed and turned back around in his seat, reaching over and blasting the heater on high. He faced the vents toward me and I almost moaned. The warmth felt so good against my almost frozen skin. I leaned my head back against the seat, closing my eyes. Before I knew it, I had fallen fast asleep.
Soon, I heard the sounds of car doors opening and closing and people taking in whispers. Yet, I was still asleep. I only picked up some of the conversation, but from the little bit that I did hear I recognized Steve and Natasha's voices.
". . . Don't want to wake her up . . . Poor thing. . . "
". . .Carry her . . . Must be exhausted. . . " I drifted in and out as I felt someone lift me up from the backseat and placed me to where my head was on their shoulder and their arm under my bottom, the way a child was usually carried. I figured that it was Steve who was carrying me from the muscualr feeling of his shoulder and the smell of his cologne. It was comforting, to be so close to another person.
I noticed the change in temperature as we stepped inside. I also noticed the way the lights got brighter even through my closed lids. We walked for quite awhile until I felt Steve stop and slowly move me to something I assumed was a sofa.
I sunk into the soft cushions and tried to cuddle deeper into them, loving how it was so soft. It was the softest thing I had ever slept on. Back at the orphanage, I didn't have a bed. Just a small blanket was given to me. Nights were very hard, especially during the winter.
". . .Have to wake her up . . . Fury called. . . Tony's here. . ." I heard Natasha say quietly. I wonder who this Tony person was. Maybe their boss or something.
I opened my eyes slowly to find myself in a white room, laying on a white sofa. I looked around to see that everything was . . . white. White tables, white chairs. How boring, I thought to myself.
"Isadora, honey," Steve said to me. I looked at him, shocked. No one had ever called me honey. "We need to go to a different room. That's where you'll be told the news." I nodded my head, eager to find out what was so important.
I followed Natasha and Steve down many hallways as we walked through S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters. Once again, everything was white. How suprising. We passed by a few agents on the way, all of them not even giving me a second glance. Good.
We finally stopped at a metal door. Opening it, Natasha, Steve and I walked into the room. There was nothing but a metal table with two metal chairs and a mirror on the wall. Probably a two way mirror, I thought to myself. Not an uncommon thing in what I'm assuming is an interrigation room.
"Wait here, okay?" said Steve in a soft voice. I nodded my head nad made my way over to one of the chairs as I heard the door close and lock.
I sunk down into the chair, dropping my bag onto the floor beside me. I looked around the room, already getting bored. At least when I would walk around Boston, I'd see something different everyday to keep me entertained. But this, this was boring.
I put my head down on my arms on top of the table, closing my eyes and just thinking. Thinking about why I'm here, why I was born, Why I have the life I have. After about thirty minutes, I heard multiple footstep coming towards the room.
I sat up immediately, ready to run if it was an attacker. I heard the door being unlocked and my breath hitched in my throat. This is it, I thought to myself. The big news. I sat up straighter as the door opened slowly.
I looked at the open door to see a handsome man with a goatee, wearing a button up, white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and jeans. His brown hair was neatly combed back and he wore a gold watch on his wrist.
I looked at his eyes and gasped.
He was crying.