A/N: Sorry for the long wait folks! Life got in the way, I got a little stumped, and I rewatched The Avengers movie to get a feel of the characters again. Thank you all, for being so patient!

"Why didn't I learn to treat everything like it was the last time. My greatest regret was how much I believed in the future."

― Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

~Chapter Three~

It wasn't uncommon for Tony to wake up randomly around two in the morning to get a drink. A drink of water. He corrects himself, glancing over to a sleeping Pepper. Her blonde hair is splayed on the soft blue pillows, and eyes shut in a peaceful state. Not being able to resist such a cute sight, Tony gives a quick smooch on Pepper's forehead. She reacts by shifting her covers, a smile tugging her lips. As quietly as he could manage, he shuffles into the hallway.

Walking down the dimly lit hallway, Tony looks out of the windows. Night is still covering the sea that his Californian mansion is overlooking. Crashes of the waves against the rocky cliffs are like a distant thunderstorm. Feeling a bit more awake, Tony strolls on for his mini quest. Wonder why we left the lights on? Walking further down, he stops seeing a door slightly ajar. That's where the kid's sleeping. He edges closer, hand reaching for the knob. Some childish curiosity seizes his impulses, to check on the kid.

Is what happened last night - a few hours ago - even real? Not thinking much on his actions, Tony opens the door. The light from the hallway spills into the dark room. The door creaks open, revealing Aiyanna. Her face is tear streaked and her eyes red and puffy. She's hiccuping softly, shivering. The unexpected presence of light makes her blink rapidly. When she sees Tony, she aggressively wipes her face, but her small shoulders shake.

"Got a case of the waterworks, huh?" Tony struggles to find words. "It's okay, uhm, kid. Erm, how bout' we go to the kitchen? I was going to have a midnight snack, y'know?" He turns around, and swiftly walks away. Tiny footsteps follow after. Once he lead Aiyanna to the kitchen, she finds her way to a bright red chair positioned near the counter, and clambers on top of it. Tears are no longer running down her face, but hiccups still escape the little girl.

Suddenly, Tony wondered how he felt when his parents died from the car crash. All he could remember was...an emptiness. Lots of drinking. Work. Learning even more useless stuff from school. No tears, no despair, no sadness. His parents' death didn't have a huge impact on Tony. Half of his childhood, he got shipped off to a rich boarding school. But he remembers that he couldn't help but feel a huge fat blank in his life. And he still didn't get over that huge fat blank.

Pouring some water into the electric boiler and flipping some buttons, he turns to the cabinet to find a can of hot chocolate. Maybe even a bottle of beer, if he's lucky.

As he was preparing their drinks, Tony wonders how he should ask Aiyanna what she felt about her father's death. Hell, does she even want to talk about it? His stomach lurches at the idea of talking and analyzing a little girl's feelings about such an emotional topic. I'm not a therapist. You should just wait out the storm. And the kid doesn't seem set on talking anytime soon. Tony scoops up some cocoa powder into two white mugs, followed by hot water. Rummaging through the fridge, he manages to find a half full bottle of vodka, stashed away. He opens it and furtively pours some into his drink, pushing the other untainted mug towards Aiyanna.

Her little hands grab the sides, and she brings it close to her face.

Her hiccups finally subsided, but her cloudy brown eyes are still a scary shade of red. The ever talkative Tony Stark, who would always make a comment and couldn't stand a quiet moment, sits in silence at the counter with the little girl as they drink hot chocolate.

"You gonna keep that mouth shut forever, kid?"

Aiyanna glances up at him. Her upper lip is covered in a brown moustache, thanks to the hot cocoa. Tony half-smiles, pushing a napkin towards her. He taps his lips.

"Got a little something there."

Getting his message, Aiyanna wipes her mouth. Disappointment sinks in Tony's stomach, followed by a spike of frustration. What is up with this girl? She has to speak sooner or later! Hell, when his parents died, he didn't shut up. Why was Aiyanna letting something permanent affect her so deeply?

"You're going to have to get over it." Tony sets his mug down, staring hard at Aiyanna. She responds by looking away, and pushing her drink to the side. "I know it's sad and traumatizing and all - but you can't let something like this bring you down. People won't appreciate it if you're silent and you can actually speak."

Nothing. Aiyanna is still looking away, arms crossed over her little chest. Uh-oh. Once again, Tony lets his mouth get the best of him. He rubs his hand over his face, feeling every wrinkle, worry line, and coarse facial hair. Getting up, he dumps his drink into the sink. The thick sweetness of chocolate lingers in his mouth, the vodka a foul aftertaste.

"When you're done, you can put the mug in the sink," Tony mutters out of the corner of his mouth. He proceeds to shuffle back into the dimly lit hallway. Who knows what tomorrow - well, technically today will smack me in the face with? He thinks, not particularly looking forward to a long day back at the CEO Stark Corporations office and the demigods crashing at his mansion…

Plastic scrapes against marble. Tony turns his head, and sees Aiyanna shying away from him, but still trailing behind. He frowns, but shrugs it off, continuing to walk down the hallway. Soft footsteps follow him, rhythmic and light. When he reaches his door, Aiyanna is still behind, bangs covering her eyes. Her arms are crossed behind, and she is looking at the floor.

"You don't want to go to bed?"

She doesn't reply, eyes still trained on the floor. She takes a step forward. Tony's perplexed frown loosens up, realizing what Aiyanna wanted. He opens the door a bit wider.

"Alright, alright kid. You can crash in my bedroom."

Aiyanna darts past him, without waiting for any more commentary. She scrambles into the bed, pulling the covers immediately over her head. He chuckles slightly. Despite the kid being refusing to speak, she still has those childish tendencies. Joining Pepper and Aiyanna, he takes his place in bed. Aiyanna stole all of the covers, clutching it over her body like a lifeline.

"No need to be so pushy kid," Tony mumbles, but sleeps easily without his blankets anyway.

"You think you know pain?" Loki hears the cold whispery voice of The Other hiss into his ear. Never had he felt this close to death before. Loki's heart is beating fast. But he musn't show fear. He musn't show weakness…

The Other bares his teeth, a mockery of a grin when Loki shows no reaction.

"We will make you know something as sweet as PAIN."

A clawed, withered hand rakes its nails across his face - bringing a splintered and mindblowingly horrendous cold. This cold cannot even begin to be compared to winters in Asguard, the harsh environments of Jotunheim, or the typical body temperature of Frost Giants...no, no...it was a true cold that made him shiver up and down his spine.

Loki's eyes fly open.

He shudders at the ghostly dream - more like a premonition for his fate. Why would he dream of that...him…? Loki smiles bitterly to himself. Well. It's only a matter of time before they find him. Even in his sleep, they haunt him, a cruel reminder. He's a walking dead man...

His eyes adjusting to the unfamiliar environment, they start aching. The unnatural, manmade lights installed within the "jet" hurts his sleep-ridden eyes. Wincing, Loki tries to raise his arms. Clink! A metal clasp is shut tight around Loki's right wrist, chained to the arm of the leather chair he sits in. He scowls, attempting to move his arm again, to no avail. It is a nice change of scenery from the muzzle. Loki grits his teeth, jaw still aching from the metal contraption that restrained the lower part of his face.

Thor is sitting in an aisle across from his section, deep in sleep. Snores rise out of his mouth, disturbing the sterile and white environment of the small space. Loki cringes each time Thor makes another noise. His appearance isn't any better, drool running out of the side of his mouth and his stupid hammer cradled in his arms like some sort of toy. Curling his mouth in distaste, Loki turns away from the unpleasant sight.

Scanning his surroundings more, to the far left corner sits one of S.H.I.E.L.D's agents - Maria was it? Even in her sleep, she is still rigid and stiff. Her hands are entwined in a permanent pose, neatly placed over her lap. Orange objects are stuffed in both of her ears - a smart move being trapped in a place with a sleeping Thor.

His eyes fall on his lap, seeing a book. Lord of the Flies bold black letters stretching across the cover. He picks it up, seeing a paper stuck among the pages, marking the place where he left off. If there was any consolation from this horrid trip to that insolent Man of Iron's home, Loki once again finds comfort in books. Shoved away into a compartment of his seat, Loki managed to snag it and start reading the book for his own pleasure.

Seeing no use in going back to sleep, Loki flips open to wear he left off.

"A rounded patch of sunlight fell on his face and a brightness appeared in the depths of the water. He looked in astonishment, no longer at himself but at an awesome stranger. He

spilt the water and leapt to his feet, laughing-"

"RaaaaaUUUUGGHHHHhhh!"

Loki jumps, cursing from the sudden noise. He glances immediately over to Thor, not even needing to deduce the location of the disrupting sound. Sending a glare that can stab, Loki hoped somehow his murderous look can shut up Thor or even better, choke him in his sleep, so he could finally shut up. Not in the Allfather's good graces. Deep rumbles continue to emit from the ridiculously tall Asguardian.

Thor being shoved into such a tiny place of this jet was truly an idiotic idea on the Midguardians' part. He looks so awkward, out of place, a sore thumb. His head is a shy foot away from the ceiling. Long muscled legs are poorly fit in between the tiny space Thor's seat has to offer. His ungodly height compared to the teeny tiny mortals is truly laughable, in the end. Thor's snores quieting down - well, if his snoring can be compared to a bile snap running around is the most "quiet" he could be, Loki might as well just take it.

Concentrating on the page and drowning out his environment, Loki goes back to reading.

" - laughing excitedly. Beside the pool his sinewy body held up a mask that drew their eyes and appalled them. He began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame - "

"GraaaaUUUGGHHhhhHHH!"

Loki exhales deeply, laying down the book. The faint rumbling of the engines in the background, along with Thor's obnoxious snoring certainly did not create an

appropriate reading environment. Resting his chin on his left hand, he gazes out of the circular window. Black paints the sky. Clouds blow past the jet, like lost ghosts. There is not a star in the sky. Below, though, are Midguardian structures and buildings decorated with the occasional blue, red, and green, but mostly yellow lights.

That all could've been yours.

Clenching his teeth, Loki tears his gaze away from the window. Can he find no peace? Grasping the arms of his leather chair - Loki finds that digging his nails into the soft material feels rather good, in fact - he tries to sort his labyrinth of endless thoughts. The book. Yes, his thoughts on the book.

Surprisingly mature for a book written by a mortal. Golding, his name was? Loki glances at the cover of the book to confirm his thoughts. Golding. He has the right idea. Loki's thoughts run over the boys on the island - Jack, Ralph, Piggy, Roger...a bunch of prominent figures. Quite obvious what each child represented. The conch in the book is solid evidence what mortals ultimately crave. Power. Loki grabs a handful of hair.

No longer is it long, greasy, and black, but the mortals changed his hair color to a dark blonde. Trimmed away his mess of a hair, it is now sleek and neat. Almost the way he preferred his hair before Thor's coronation...Loki shakes such thoughts of the past from his head. After the little "makeover" the mortals had the nerve of forcing upon him, Loki refuses to look directly at a mirror.

Funny how mortals acknowledge the darkest extensions of their nature in fiction, yet they cannot bear to apply it to their puny little lives. A bunch of hypocrites, all of them. They deny the greatest truth.

Loki thinks back to the scene he made in Germany, before the soldier and man of iron had to spoil his fun. How satisfying it was, to see hundreds of mortals kneel so easily to his will. Their eyes staring up at him, waiting for his next command, for they know that if they disobey a potential ruler, then with a flick of his wrist he can cut their laughingly short lives. Oh, the power he had at his fingertips...He squeezes his hands shut. On his palm, he can feel the scars he made at Odin's "trial."

I wouldn't want to re-open them. Loosening his grip, Loki brings his gaze to looking outside of the window. Hungrily, he peers at the acres upon acres of land that could've been his.

In the end, it was a sick, sick fever dream, wasn't it? The voice of reason he was once so in touch with, sounds so, so, so far away.

Pepper squints at the computer screen. I hope we still have some vanilla extract. She worries, rummaging through the cupboards. Jack Johnson's soft voice sings the lyrics of Pepper's all time favorite traditional song to make breakfast to, "Banana Pancakes."

"Waking up too early

Maybe we can sleep in

Make you banana pancakes

Pretend like it's the weekend now,"

Pepper mouths the words to the lyrics, the words practically embedded in her memory. Pushing some paprika, bottles of preserved pickles, and jams out of the way, she finally sees the tiny bottle of vanilla extract in the back corner.

"Ah-ha!" She smiles in triumph, grabbing the bottle. Turning around, she places it on the counter with the other ingredients for breakfast. There is Aiyanna, sitting in the chair, quiet as ever. "Oh! You're awake!" Pepper gives her best smile. "You're so quiet, I didn't even hear you come behind me." Aiyanna waves a little at her, a simple greeting. Pepper smiles even wider, waving back. "Guess what I'm making?"

She lets Aiyanna look over all of the various items on the counter.

"Banana pancakes!"

Aiyanna's expression brightens up considerably. Her back straights, along with her eyes widening. Success! Pepper cheers in her mind, proud for getting a positive reaction out of the so far mute little girl.

"You want to help out?"

Aiyanna responds with a nod.

Pepper claps her hands. "Great! Here, I'll let you do one of the best parts." She goes over to Aiyanna's side of the table, with a bowl containing two brown eggs. "All you need to do is crack these eggs open, and whisk them!" Pepper raises a hand-operated whisker. Aiyanna looks at them, leaning in with fascination. "You ever beat eggs before?" Aiyanna nods, assent. "Can you crack the eggs?" Aiyanna pauses for thought, then shakes her head. "Alright, I can show you!"

She takes an egg in her hand, handing the other one to Aiyanna. "Here, watch me closely." Pepper positions the egg near the lip of the glass bowl. She taps the egg against the side. A faint crack is heard. White lines spiderweb across the brown surface of the egg. Aiyanna watches closely, egg clutched in her hands. Pepper taps the egg again, the crack becoming wider. A third tap, and yellow contents start spilling into the bowl. She splits the egg open, all of its insides dripping into it.

"Just like that!" Pepper puts the eggshells into the trashcan, and rinses her hands. All this time Aiyanna stares back and forth between the egg in her hands and the glass bowl, as if intimidated by such a task. She returns to Aiyanna, folding her arms on the surface of the counter. "Go on! Just do it like I did."

Encouraged by Pepper's statement, Aiyanna taps - the much more appropriate description is slamming the egg onto the bowl. Egg explodes from the impact, yellow insides dripping onto the counter. The eggs crumbles in Aiyanna hands, brown shards scattered everywhere. Aiyanna sits there, stunned, looking wide-eyed at the brutality she imposed upon the once whole egg. Aiyanna then looks at Pepper, bottom lip trembling and eyes still wide.

Pepper starts laughing, both at Aiyanna's startled reaction and her failed attempt at breaking the egg.

"Don't worry! I bet nobody ever gets it right on the first try." She says to Aiyanna, as she collects some paper towels. Pepper wipes the mess away, handing some paper towels to Aiyanna. Once that was dealt with, Pepper returns to Aiyanna with another egg. Aiyanna looks warily at it, then back at her still sticky hands from the remains of the last egg. "It wouldn't hurt to try again. Afterall, eggs are the most important part of pancake batter!" Pepper jokes, putting the egg gently into her hands.

"Ain't no need, ain't no need, mmm, mmm,

Can't you see, can't you see?

Rain all day, and I don't mind…"

Aiyanna looks at the challenge presented before her. Scrunching her face, she taps the egg against the side of the bowl, a bit gentler this time. The force still splits open the egg on her first try, though. Hands shaking, Aiyanna dumps the contents of her egg into the bowl. Some pieces of eggshell drops into the eggy mixture as well. But Pepper ignores this, clapping her hands.

"Hey, great job! You got it!"

This earns a smile from Aiyanna, her expression no longer mortified. Pepper beams at the child's happy expression. Taking the eggshells, Pepper hands the whisker over to Aiyanna.

"Just turn the handle," Pepper taps at the white grip of the contraption for Aiyanna. "And the whisks will do the rest, okay?"

Pepper then tends to the dry ingredients. While dumping the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar into a huge bowl, she watches Aiyanna out of the corner of her eye. Aiyanna is turning the handle, slowly, as she watches the two yolks mix into one unified liquid. Testily, she spins the handle faster. The metal whisks fly inside the bowl. Another smile brightens up Aiyanna's little face. With a small, mischievous grin, Aiyanna spins the handle at lightspeed. The metal whisks turn into silver blurs. The clearish thick liquid of the eggs fly into the air, as Aiyanna beats the eggs madly.

Meanwhile, Pepper watches, suppressing a loud laugh. She didn't even have the heart to tell Aiyanna to ease her strength. If only Tony was here to see this! Sifting the dry ingredients, Pepper turns back to the computer screen for the next directions. A small hand taps her back. Pepper turns around, and sees Aiyanna, presenting a bowl of extremely-liquified eggs. Half of the liquid escaped to the counter, and some spilled onto Aiyanna's clothes. But there is a proud, beaming expression on the little girl's face. She continues holding the bowl, looking expectantly up at Pepper for praise.

"You're a natural!" Pepper praises, taking the bowl. Aiyanna nods vigorously, extremely prideful of her handiwork. "Hey, how about you clean up the little mess you left at the counter?" Pepper hands her more paper towels. Aiyanna takes them, eager for this next task. While her back is turned, Pepper quickly cracks open another egg into the mixture. Aiyanna cleans up the mess and Pepper dumps the rest of the ingredients into the batter.

"And everything we need is enough

Just so easy

When the whole world fits inside of your arms

Do we really need to pay attention to the alarm?

Wake up slow, mmm mm, wake up slow,"

Pepper hums along with the music, high on nostalgia. No matter how many times she played "Banana Pancakes", she can never ever get tired of it. Unlike Tony, who immediately walks out of the room if she is playing the song. Which, she discovers, is a great way to temporarily repel Tony. Besides, if she had to deal with his constant AC/DC songs blaring at his place 24/7, she has just as a right to play her favorite music.

Aiyanna returns, looking up at Pepper for another task. Pulling up a chair, she helps Aiyanna onto it. She takes a blue spatula, and puts it in the pancake mixture. Pepper's stomach rumbles slightly, the faint scent of vanilla wafting from the batter. Aiyanna smells it too, taking a deep whiff of the unfinished pancakes.

"All you just need to do is mix it - really well! Don't be too rough, because we have to save each drop of the batter as much as possible." Pepper tells Aiyanna. Aiyanna nods hearing these directions, and starts stirring, thankfully at a weaker pace. Pepper pulls out a wooden board and a knife. She peels three bananas, and slices them into identical slivers. Turning back to Aiyanna, she sees the little girl struggling with stirring the batter.

"I can take it from here." She tells Aiyanna. Breathing heavily, Aiyanna nods, pushing it to Pepper. Pepper easily stirs the rest of the batter, mixing up any remains of unmixed flour. "Your duty at the kitchen is done. You can relax while I make us some pancakes!"

Aiyanna jumps a little, showing her enthusiasm.

This is a heck of a lot of progress from yesterday night. Pepper turns on the flame on the stove, putting a black pan over it. She pours some oil onto the pan, and waits for it to heat up.

"Ain't no need, ain't no need

Rain all day, and I really, really, really don't mind

Can't you see, can't you see?

You gotta wake up slow."

Three replays of the Banana Pancakes song later, two plates of steaming pancakes are ready. Pepper garnishes the stack of pancakes with slices of bananas. Pulling out her phones and taking a quick picture, she sends a text message attached with the photo to Tony.

'Jealous? ;)' She taps send.

Ping!

'hell right i am peps, help im trapped in this bored meeting and i cant get out'

'I'll be sure to eat an extra plate of pancakes just for you'

Pepper grins, pocketing her phone. She can just imagine Tony at a board meeting - him snarking at any passive aggressive comments that the other members would attempt to direct at him. Sitting there playing a silent game of tic-tac-toe with JARVIS. Typical Tony Stark.

"Aiyanna, breakfast's ready!" She calls out, setting maple syrup and whip cream on the counter.

Aiyanna comes in a blink of an eye, and she clambers onto her seat. She gives a small audible gasp at her plate of food. A small hand shoots out, insistent for maple syrup. Pepper smiles, handing it over to the girl. She pours a generous amount on her pancakes. Aiyanna practically attacks the whip cream. Going a bit mad with power in the possession of the creamy treat, Aiyanna sprays whipped cream all over her pancakes. She does it incorrectly, tilting the can sideways instead of straight. Whipped cream sprays everywhere.

This time, Pepper steps in.

"I don't want you to get a sugar high, now."

The smallest of giggles escape Aiyanna. Pepper catches it, smiling at the sound of Aiyanna's laughter. Touching up their pancakes with whipped cream and maple syrup, both of them dig into their breakfast feast.

"Miss Potts?" Asks the computerized faintly British voice of JARVIS.

"Mmh?" Pepper wipes her mouth with a napkin, setting down her fork. "Yes, JARVIS?"

"Abdul Thompson is here, once again. He requests permission for entrance."

Aiyanna pauses eating as well, hearing JARVIS mention Abdul. Pepper nods, clicking a button inside a panel that is installed into the counter. Yesterday night, Abdul promised to deliver Aiyanna's possessions and medications to the Stark household.

"Finish up eating, okay honey?" Pepper says to Aiyanna. She throws on a hoodie lying on the couch, just to cover up her tank top and comfy cotton shorts.

Pepper is no stranger to applications, detailed forms, and piles of papers. This is just a typical job she needed to deal with as a secretary and part time CEO of Stark Corporations. Not a big deal. But the amount of papers she and Tony need to sign to confirm their guardianship of Aiyanna, as well as the dozens of medical papers attached to Aiyanna's physical condition is giving her a major headache.

She squints at the tiny text, detailing conditions and terms on the application. "Christ." She shakes her head, rubbing her forehead. Three bottles of pills are stacked in front of her. Abdul was kind enough to label each of the lengthy fancy termed medicines for Pepper, and even pick up some medicine for Aiyanna from the pharmacy. Pepper reads through each bottle again. "Epilepsy. Pain relief. Sleeping problems." Then there is an asthma pump and a syringe for allergy reactions.

Aiyanna has the other two items essential to her physical being - a new pair of powerful glasses that help her see in spite of her progressive blindness and some hearing aids. Apparently, she has some hearing problems as well. Pepper chews the inside of her cheek. Maybe Tony wasn't overreacting at all. Aiyanna has a lot of medical problems. How in the world can we keep in track of it?

Overwhelmed by these new responsibilities, Pepper decides to abandon the papers, and check on Aiyanna. The girl is sitting in front of the TV, mesmerized by the contents of the videos playing on the screen. Looking closer at the screen, Pepper recognizes a younger Aiyanna, probably around eight or nine years of age. A man with thick black hair, tanned skin, and bright brown eyes is briefly seen in front of the shaky camera sometimes. A deep and pleasant sounding male voice narrates the video.

"...Aiyanna, do you think you can find any more seashells for me?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

Aiyanna is listening intently to the TV. Her cloudy brown eyes are magnified by her glasses.

"Is that your father?" Pepper asks as gently as possible.

Aiyanna nods, looking straight down. It could be a trick of her glasses or the light, but her eyes look rather wet. Pepper leaves it at that. She sits there with Aiyanna, silent, as they both watch the home videos Aiyanna's father recorded.

A/N: Unlike the old version, I want to succeed in making Pepper and Aiyanna's relationship much more meaningful and built upon a slow trust. I hope you guys liked the fluffy family moment between Aiyanna and Pepper! There is still a long way to go with Aiyanna's stages of grief.

A quick moment from me - wow, so many follows and favorites and views, and we only have two chapters! I'm glad so many people are reading the rewrite. It would be super nice if you guys leave your thoughts in a review. It doesn't need to be a lot - you can state what you love about the chapter or things you want to see in future chapters - whatever you think of the story! I absolutely love hearing people's thoughts, and I wanna hear your thoughts guys! Don't be shy! :D

Signing out, Gem.