I am so sorry I haven't updated! Who knew quarantining could be so BUSY! Hopefully I can get back on a regular schedule. I hope you enjoy!

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"I don't understand this," came a muffled voice. "It looks right, but it's…so wrong?"

"Let me see again," came a second voice, slightly more precise than the first, but garbled.

"The skin density is astronomical!" came a third voice.

Avi tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt as if they weighed triple their usual weight. She groaned and shifted.

"Doctor, she's moving."

"Alright, keep her calm."

Slowly, painfully, Avi opened her eyes and looked around. Everything was fuzzy at first, but she realized it was because her eyes were only open a crack. Widening them, Avi saw several men and women circling her, all wearing masks and funny hats. She must be in a hospital. She knew about hospitals. Strange had told her he used to work in a hospital before becoming a sorcerer.

"Hi, young lady," said a man wearing a white coat with the name Doctor Lewis etched across the left breast. He seemed to be in charge. "I'm Doctor Lewis. We've got you in the I.C.U., and we're just checking to make sure you're okay. How are you doing? Can you talk, kiddo?"

Avi sighed, barely registering the words she was hearing. A vague memory of Tony and Rhodey teased at her brain, but it was nothing she could grasp. Avi wondered where Papa and Mama were. How did she end up here?

"Go get Mr. Stark," said the doctor.

"Are you sure, Doctor?" asked a woman at the end of the bed. She was wearing a purple outfit that looked incredibly unfashionable to Avi.

"He insisted," shrugged the doctor. "I don't argue with men who fund the hospital."

The woman disappeared, and Avi watched as some of the other men in the room, wearing equally unattractive outfits, touched her limbs and tried to stick her with needles.

"It's like pushing a stick into hard ground," groaned one of them. "This kid has skin of leather."

"Talk to me, Doc!" came an insistent voice from the doorway. It was from Tony. "Oh, hey, kid," he said, locking eyes with Avi. "How are you? What's the update?" He seemed to be directing his questions to the doctor and Avi simultaneously.

"Her blood is…" the doctor's voice faltered, and he glanced at one of the other men, "confusing. And we're having a heck of a time getting needles into her."

"Yeah, well, she's an alien, so that makes sense," nodded Tony.

"I'm sorry, what?" asked the doctor.

"You know, like Thor," said Tony, resting his hand on Avi's.

"Thor, the god of thunder?" said Doctor Lewis, blinking in confusion. "Another Avenger?"

"Yeah, the same," nodded Tony, his eyes searching Avi's. She was still puzzled as to why he was here and how she had ended up on earth. Where were Odin and Frigga? If she was hurt, shouldn't they be with her? "She's his niece," said Tony, touching her hair with a comforting pat.

"I read about his anatomy in Physician's Weekly," said Doctor Lewis, his voice growing excited. "They had a difficult time with him in New Mexico after his accident."

"Yeah, well, tell me about the kid," said Tony. "What's the update."

Avi groaned and pushed herself to a sitting position.

"Oh, easy there, little lady!" said the doctor, trying to settle her back down on the hard bed.

"No, sir, you will release me," insisted Avi, holding firm in her position. "I am quite alright."

"Look, Doctor!" cried one of the other men. "The scrape on her upper arm is scabbed over!"

"You know those Asgardians," chuckled Tony. "They recharge like Oppos. Avila, kid, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine," said Avi, her head much clearer now. She felt a wave of anxiety wash over her as she remembered what had brought her to this moment. The energy coursing through her body, the vision of Odin exposed before her, the blackness of space surrounding her, and lastly, falling to the ground in Tony's lab.

Avi stood up from the table, ignoring the pleas and remarks of the doctor and nurses. Tony held her by the arm and kept her steady. "Hey there, kiddo, you sure you're alright?" he asked.

"Yes," she nodded. "I feel fine." She was sore, but it felt no different than post-sparring Thor in the courtyard below her quarters. The thing that hurt the most was her heart.

"Well, thanks for trying, Doc," said Tony, shaking hands with the doctor as Avi pulled free of his grip and walked towards the door. "These Asgardians have crazy healing speeds. They'd be great in boxing."

Avi left the room with Tony close behind her, leaving a group of perplexed people staring after them.

"Why was I brought here?" asked Avi, strutting quickly down the hall as she straightened her clothing. "Have I been mortally wounded?"

"No," said Tony, "I just forgot that Asgardians have the healing power of gods. Suppose it is because you are a god."

"I am a goddess, and not all Asgardians heal as quickly as deities," said Avi, stopping at the end of the hall and looking both directions. She saw nothing but bustling people and endless doorways. "How do we leave this hospital?"

"This way," said Tony, pointing the opposite direction down the hallway they had just come. "Are you sure you're okay?"

For the first time, Avi noticed that Tony seemed genuinely nervous and concerned under his confident exterior. She hesitated, looking deeply into his eyes for a moment, and then sighed, "Yes, I am fine. My pain is not physical." She started the direction Tony had pointed, hoping he would follow her, though she wasn't sure why he wouldn't. Part of her was scared that he didn't entirely want her and would try to pawn her off on someone else. If that were the case, she would simply live on her own or try to get Loki to take her away and be alone together, having adventures. The thoughts were fleeting, though, as she sensed Tony hurrying along directly behind her.

"Okay, well, we can unpack that worrisome statement later," said Tony, "but let me ask you now if you're hungry or anything. I could stress-eat about six cheeseburgers right now."

"What is a cheeseburger?" asked Avi, turning on her heel when Tony took a left towards what looked like an exit.

"Cow meat and cheese on bread," said Tony.

Avi raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, "I have heard more articulate ways of describing food."

"A fine beef slab grilled to perfection and topped with a delectable slice of cheese beautifully presented between two pieces of baked bread," said Tony, opening the door and stepping aside to let Avi through.

"If you wish," said Avi, suddenly finding herself wrenched with anxiety again. It had disappeared for a few moments, but as she remembered more and more of what had taken place over the past few hours, her heart rate steadily rose, and she found herself very nervous with her father. What things should she say around him? What mannerisms did he find respectful from a child? What was she to call him? Would he be offended if she did not want one of these cheeseburgers he was describing? As her brain swirled, they stepped off a curb and walked across a sunbaked parking lot to a sleek maroon convertible, the top down. A plate was attached to the back that read 'STARK 33', and Avi wondered if that was how people on earth remembered which car belonged to which person.

"Had Happy drop it off," said Tony. "Jump in."

Avi watched as Tony's opened the door and slid into the driver seat, before going around and doing the same on the passenger side. It was her first time in a car, and she wasn't entirely sure how to go about the whole process.

"So…" blurted Tony, his demeanor turning a mixture of shy and nervous, "hungry?"

"Uh, yes, sir," nodded Avi, deciding it was best to go along with whatever Tony suggested. Since it was their first time alone together without the shock of meeting ruling their emotions, and neither was entirely sure how to act, it seemed appropriate to agree with everything he said and avoid conflict.

"So, what happened when he took you to wherever he took you?" asked Tony, backing the car out.

"Papa…I mean Odin?" asked Avi, blushing as she said the All-Father's name. "Back to Asgard. He did not harm me. We spoke for a while, and then I exploded in lightning. I am not sure what happened. I don't wish to talk about it right now."

"You exploded in lightning?" asked Tony, staring at his daughter, then glancing up and swinging the steering wheel to straighten the car. "As in…okay, yeah, never mind. It's fine. We can talk about it when you're ready."

Avi flushed deeply and sank, feeling bad about not explaining things, but it was all so new and confusing that she hadn't entirely wrapped her mind around it.

"So, let's stop here," said Tony, clicking on his blinker and pulling into the drive-through of a Burger King. A few moments later, and leaving behind a shocked employee after serving Tony Stark, the two pulled away with four cheeseburgers and two bottles of water. Tony licked some melted cheese off the side of his hand as he drove and cleared his throat, "Alright, so you okay with heading back to my place?"

"Um, yes, sir," said Avi, staring at the wrapped cheeseburger on her lap. "Do you…does anyone live…"

"With me?" smiled Tony. "I have a – Pepper. She is my – I have…yes, I have a fiancée. We're going to be married. I, yeah."

"Oh, that's nice," said Avi, her heart rate soaring at the announcement. She had been directing her question towards the idea of Rhodey, wondering if he lived with her father, and had not expected the reveal of another woman in Tony's life. Should she have expected any less, though? Why shouldn't Tony continue with his life? The idea that he had other children flashed across Avi's mind, and she immediately blocked it out, entirely unprepared to deal with that concept quite yet.

"She's the most amazing woman I've ever met," said Tony, seeming to read into Avi's shock. "She'll like you a lot, I promise. I mean, I have never told her about you, but she is a very understanding person."

"You didn't tell her about me?" asked Avi, surprised at the level of pain it caused her to hear this. Immediately embarrassed by the harshness of her tone, Avi took a deep breath and tried to smile, "I mean – that's – I'm sure she is a wonderful lady."

Tony shifted uncomfortably and forced a grin towards his daughter, "Yeah, she's the best. Uh, yeah."

The awkward exchange ended the conversation, and for the next few minutes, the two sat silently as the wind blew their hair, and the car traveled over the roads into more rural areas until all houses and buildings disappeared entirely. After a while, Tony nodded his head to the right and said, "There's home, kid."

A gate followed by a long driveway followed, and then Tony stopped the car in front of the Avengers base, immediately climbing out and straightening his clothes. Avi recognized it immediately. She had been here just hours before, after all. It suddenly occurred to her that Odin may very well return and take her back. She may have blocked Heimdall's vision of her, but the All-Father was smart enough to track her down in such a prominent place.

"Come on in," said Tony, slipping his sunglasses onto the top of his head.

"I can't," said Avi, taking a shaky step backward, steadying herself on the car.

Tony looked at her with puzzlement, "It's alright, kid. Let's go in and talk it all out. Don't worry. Pepper won't mind you being here."

Avi wondered what he meant by that, then realized he thought she was nervous about meeting his bride-to-be. "No, sir," she said. "It's not her. Surely the All-Father will look for me here. I know he will try to find me. We are not safe here; neither you nor I. We cannot stay here."

Tony turned to look at the enormous building, then back at Avi, his eyes narrowed. "Can't say you're wrong," he said. "I should have thought of that myself. Um…tell you what, kiddo, I have a little place in the Adirondacks. It sits on a lake. Serene. What say you and I head up there for a while and talk things over. No one will bother us, and we can get to know each other again. If you like, we can bring Pepper, if you'd feel more comfortable having a lady around. Don't feel pressured! Totally up to you…"

Sensing that Tony was going to ramble for a while, Avi interrupted with, "Yes. Yes. That would be fine. Pepper, too. We must go immediately." Worrying about a step-mother had suddenly dropped to the bottom of her list of concerns, and Avi's only thought was getting as far away from Odin as possible. "How quickly can we make it there?" she asked, concern etched across her face.

Tony flashed a half-smile, "Ever ride in a helicopter?"

...

Ever had an absolutely terrible day? Because poor Avila is sure having one. The next chapter should lighten up. Thanks for reading along! Leave a review if you like!