Trapped in the Shadows

Chapter 51 - Veronica's Visit

I took a deep breath as I waited for the elevator doors to open, nerves radiating through me. There were so many outcomes of the meeting with my mother that I wanted to avoid, mainly ruining my possible relationship with her by proving that I have no trust in her or allowing her to hurt the ones I loved. However, I couldn't go on in my life knowing that I had a chance to remedy my relationship with my birth mother but was too afraid to do so and the rest of my family encouraged me to take the risk.

She stood in the lobby of the compound, looking a little nervous as well as she waiting for me to come fetch her, giving me small smile when I came into view. "(Y/N), I am so happy that you are willing to give me a chance."

"Well, I wanted to know a bit more about you before you go back home. Come this way, I'll bring you up and introduce you to everyone," I replied, keeping my voice steady and not revealing that I was essentially taking her to a cell to be questioned.

The elevator dropped us on the secure level, where the majority of the Avengers were awaiting our arrival, many of them not even trying to hide the fact that they didn't trust her. I turned to Veronica as we walked out of the elevator and began making introductions, "Veronica, this is my father- well, adopted father I suppose. Tony this is Veronica, my mother."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stark," she smiled at him, extending his hand. "I have to admit I've never really been a huge fan, but you have certainly changed your life around in the past few years and you clearly did a wonderful job raising my daughter."

"And this is my boyfriend, Peter," I turned to him next, watching as he nervously approached her and I could almost see his spider sense warming him that she was dangerous.

"Peter, I'll have to learn more about you. Although I think I can trust that Mr. Stark vetted you thoroughly before allowing you to date (Y/N)," she spoke, doing him a once over and not seeming very impressed.

"I can assure you that he has been there for me through thick and thin and there is no one who could make a better boyfriend, Veronica," I defended him. "Well, I trust you know the rest of the Avengers."

"But we don't know you," Natasha spoke up, borderline glaring at her. "We've heard your story of course, but I, for one, don't think you've been completely honest."

Veronica tilted her head in confusion, "why would I lie? Listen, I didn't come here to steal (Y/N) away from you or take advantage of her or whatever you think I am up to. I just wanted her to understand why I abandoned her, I figured that that would be racking her brain."

"You claim that her father left you when you told him you were pregnant. Why not stay and talk it out, try to convince you to have an abortion or put the child up for adoption once born? Why would he just abandon the woman he had been seeing without trying to find a solution to the situation?" Natasha questioned, already slipping into full interrogation mode.

"I don't know, I've always assumed that he got scared so he fled. Perhaps he didn't know that I could get rid of the child or maybe he knew that I wouldn't want to give her up. But he disappeared and left me to raise a child in New York City."

"And so this child that you loved so much, that you think he know you wouldn't give up, you left abandoned in an alleyway? There are plenty of orphanages you could have dropped her off at or even hospitals, why an alleyway?"

"I was scared, I wasn't thinking correctly. I couldn't afford to live in the city alone, single parenting. Not to mention, I was exhausted from taking care of her. My mind was not in the right place, but I regretted what I did when my mind finally cleared the next morning."

"How did her father pay his share of the rent? He was an alien, one who I assume couldn't quite blend into everyday society. You claim that you couldn't afford it on his own, so how could you afford it when you were together?"

Veronica paused as she thought about her answer, "he always had money, I didn't question how he got it. I suppose he could have been using his powers to create it."

"And you claimed to love him? Deviants are usually shunned as they represent the imperfections of the eternal race. How was he able to seduce a young woman into leaving her home behind and tethering her life to his?" Natasha persisted, firing off question after question.

"I was, well, astounded by the powers that he had, I had never met a man like him. And when he told me that he had traveled to other worlds and could tell me what it was like in space, his looks did not interfere with my obsession. I always dreamed that he would take me to space and show me everywhere he regaled in his stories and I was young and foolish, what more can I say? Besides, he wasn't that unattractive, I have certainly met humans who were uglier. Please, I have answered all of your questions, do you believe me now?"

"No. You did answer all of my questions, but as I have learned-"

"Only someone determined to lie can come up with answers to every question," I finished for her, causing a proud expression to briefly flash across Natasha's face.

"This is insane. What could I possibly have to lie about?" Veronica demanded, but her facade was crumbling as she grew more desperate.

"Oh please, we knew that you weren't being honest before you walked into this building. (Y/N) suspected something was off when she first met you. And now you have just proven that our suspicions were correct. Now do you feel like telling us the real story?"

Veronica's face hardened and she gave in, "fine, I haven't been completely truthful. But I'm only confessing to (Y/N). Alone."

"Absolutely not," Tony was the first to argue and the other Avengers turned even more defensive.

"Mr. Stark, I thank you for raising my daughter, but this matter is quite personal. If you want to know what really happened, I want it to be between (Y/N) and myself and no one else."

"Peter can stay," I spoke, knowing that I would have a better chance at convincing Veronica to let one person stay with me as opposed to all of the Avengers. "He and I are incredibly close and he's not an Avenger so you don't have to worry about him beating you up. He'll just be there to provide emotional support."

"Either I speak to you alone or I don't speak at all," Veronica declared, refusing to back down.

I sighed, knowing that I would have to give into her demands. Before this moment I didn't think that I wanted to know about my parents, but the more mystery that began to surround it, the more I wanted to learn the truth. I turned to the Avengers, "you can leave, I want to hear what she has to say."

"(Y/N), both you and Spider-Man felt that there was something off about her, she could be dangerous," Steve warned me, grabbing my arm.

"I know and I can take care of myself," I assured him with a smile. "Veronica, would you mind going in that cell so that you can stop them from worrying about me."

She glanced over at the cell and nodded, obediently walking inside. I locked her in and turned back to the Avengers, "see? She won't be able to hurt me even if that is her objective."

They slowly began filing out, Tony and Peter the last to leave. However I gave them a nod and they reluctantly turned away. Once the elevator doors closed, I took a breath and faced my mother. "Tell me what happened."

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(A/N): Is Veronica a villain and, if so, will she succeed in hurting you? Or is she just your mother who had been too embarrassed to tell you she what really happened? I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! We only have a few more chapters left!