His Little Angel

Chapter 17: "What are we going to tell Alexis?"

***I don't own anyone from the MCU. Loving all the excellent comments guys. Helps me write if I am honest, anyway I hope you guys enjoy this since it's in Tonys P.O.V which I haven't done in ages but it just seems fitting. Enjoy***

(Tony's P.O.V)

Closing the door to her room, I smile to myself. She certainly is something.

"J.A.R.V.I.S?" I say as I walk to the elevator.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Please inform me if Alexis wakes distressed. Do it discreetly if I'm with the others," I say as the elevator descends to the lounge level.

"Certainly, Sir."

"Thanks."

The elevator doors open and I see Pepper standing there.

"What took you so long?" She asks with a smile as I walk over to her.

"Just saying goodnight to Alexis," I tell her as I slip an arm around her waist and continue our way to the lounge.

"How is she?" Pepper asks.

"She's fine," I reply pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

"That's good," She smiles before coming to a stop in front of the lounge doors. She turns to me with a serious expression. "Tony, why did you bring Alexis back here?" She asks curiously.

Sighing, I stand in front of her and cradle her head in my hands.

"I don't know why Pep, but when I saw her, I just had an urge to protect and provide for her. She has just got to stay. You've seen how everyone already loves her and its only been a day of her being fully awake." I sigh, shrugging my shoulders. "I just need her here, Pep."

"Alright," She says, "However we need to see if she has any living relatives before we just keep her forever."

"I know, Pep," I sigh before placing a kiss on her forehead. "Thank you for helping her though," I say with a smile.

"Your welcome. Alexis is such a sweet thing." She smiles at me as I take her into my arms and hold her close. We stay like that for a minute before she pulls away.

"Come on," she says, and we walk into the lounge. She goes and sits down next to Nat as I head to the bar.

"Anyone want a drink?" I ask as I pour myself one. Clint and Steve raise their hands. Thor raises his glass indicating he already has one. Pulling out two more glasses, I see Bruce coming over.

"Hey, Brucie, want a drink?" I ask as I pour out the other's drinks.

"No, Thanks," He smiles before turning serious. "Listen, Tony; I want to talk to you about Alexis."

My attention is instantly focused on him as I ask, "What about her?"

He pulls his glasses off and asks, "Has she told you of any family she might have apart from her mother?"

By this time Steve and Clint have walked over and got their glasses, They both stay and listen intently to the conversation. I shake my head to answer his question causing him to sigh.

"Why? What do you think?" I ask, folding my arms.

"Well, did Pepper tell you about why Alexis went and hid today?" He asks.

I nod and state, " They were asking about her father."

"Yea," Bruce sighs, " from what I have seen, I'd say she's running from an abuser."

Anger fills my mind as my stance tenses as do Steve's and Clint's.

"You sure?" I growl out, trying to resist punching something, preferably her 'father'.

Bruce chuckles. "I think I would know what to look out for in an abused child don't you think?" He sighs before continuing, "When she first met us all, she shied from us all and Steve told me about how she had an attack everytime some raised their hand around her. Also, she seemed to shy away from men mostly."

I growl and lean against the bench on my hands.

"So what do we do?" Steve asks.

Bruce looks around at us all and shrugs, "I'd say just keep doing what we are doing and don't give her a reason to be scared of us."

We all nod solemnly. I grab my drink and mutter, "excuse me," before walking out of the lounge, away from the others and onto the balcony.

I couldn't believe that someone could hit Alexis. I never raised a hand to my little angel while she was with me and if she were still here, then it would never cross my mind. Staring out at the city's skyline, memories of Ayden flashed through my mind's eye. Tears began to burn my eyes as my breathing hitched for a moment. After all this time you would have expected the pain to lessen, but it never did. Quickly swiping my hand across my face, I remove any traces of my brief emotional lapse.

 Immediately, I turn my mind turns to Alexis. She was the sweetest and smartest 13-year old I had ever know. Actually, she is the only 13-year old I have known. She reminded me a bit of Ayden's mother. I frown slightly at the thought before starting to think about other similarities, but I was interrupted.

"You okay?" I turn around and see Steve walking toward me.

"Yea. Just needed some air," I explain.

He nods and leans against the railing a couple of feet from me. "Can't imagine anyone hitting Alexis," He says with a huff.

"Makes me want to go kill the bastard that did," I sigh, clenching my jaw.

"She reminds you of your daughter, doesn't she?" Steve asks as he looks up at the night sky.

"Yea. I told you that her eyes remind me so much of Ayden's," I remind him.

"Yea but anything else past that?" he asks, turning his eyes to me.

I think and quietly answer, "yea. Something about her personality, makes me think about Ayden and what she would have been like."

Steve goes to reply, but Bruce cuts us both off.

"You guys need to come in. Fury's here," He calls from the door.

We nod and walk in. As we do, Steve says, "I wouldn't give up on your daughter being lost just yet, Tony."

His words make my steps slow and look sharply at him. He smiles and carries on inside.

I follow after a few moments and see Fury grabbing a drink from the bar. I see Pepper look at me from her seat on the couch, her face full of worry. I send her a smile which makes her raise an eyebrow. I walk over to her and sit next to her.

"I'll tell you later," I whisper as I press a kiss to the side of her head. I turn my attention back to Fury, who was walking back over to the couches. Before I say anything, Steve speaks first, asking, "Just come for a drink?"

Fury shakes his head and sits down opposite me beside Thor. "No, I came with a mission."

"What kind of mission?" Clint asks, twirling a pencil in his hand.

"A mission that needs all of your skills for."

"So you're saying that you need all of the Avengers?" I ask.

Fury's gaze moves over to me. "Yes, that is what I'm saying, and I expect you all at Shield headquarters tomorrow morning for briefing."

Numerous mutters of agreement come from around the group. Fury stands and drains his glass. "Good, I want you all there at 11:00 am," He says as he billows away with his trench coat. Silence lapses on the group for a few minutes as everything thinks about what the mission could be that would need the full Avengers. My thoughts drift to Alexis as I think before I break the stillness.

"Guys," I say, as I stare at the ground.

"Yea," Steve says.

Raising my head, I look around the group and ask "What are we going to tell Alexis?"

***I hope you enjoyed it. I haven't done a chapter in Tony's P.O.V in ages. I hope it was alright***