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Post by safetytronic on Dec 15, 2010 18:33:48 GMT 2
Abby walked and half listened to Lorna talk about herself. Her mind was mostly on her mother, and how suddenly she had left her. Of course she knew that it wasn’t her fault, if anyone were to blame, it was Abby’s. Her captors did warn her that if she didn’t do what she was told, her mother would pay dearly. The sting of the reality of it, caused Abby to close her eyes to hold back the pain that tried to surface at the thought.
”But enough about me. You are the one I’m concerned about right now and we need to get you back home and to your father in one piece,”
She nodded her head knowing full well that Lorna meant well. ”It seems that your adoptive parents were trying to protect you. Much like my mom had done with me and not telling me who my father was. I had to hack into my own birth certificate to find his name…” She told her new friend, and now that she thought about it she knew where her mother was coming from. A child already covered in the media of her own accord, and if word had gotten out that the child was an offspring of one of the brilliant weapons developers and manufactures. Her mother had most likely saw disaster, but it didn’t stop her from getting kidnapped and force to work on a weapon of mass destruction.
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Post by lorna on Dec 15, 2010 20:08:19 GMT 2
Lorna was hoping that the mundane talking of an adult would drown out in Abby's head. She'd been around enough teenagers to know that usually once a grown up began talking, their eyes glossed over and their minds began to wander. Heck, she'd done it countless times herself and while she wasn't all that old, she was still very much an adult.
Unfortunately, Abby actually listened to her. Lorna still figured she was about sixteen years old or so but the girl talked like she was going on thirty. “Maybe but from what?” she asked rhetorically before smiling at the girl. She really didn't expect Abby to know the answer to that.
“It's still a bit sad that she kept that from you, especially if your father is as nice as you say he is. The name I discovered on my birth certificate doesn't really mean anything to me and I haven't really gone looking for him on the Internet or anything. If he really and truly didn't want me, I'm not about to put myself into his life,” she said, although that was only a partial truth.
What Lorna really didn't want was to learn the truth. If it turned out that her biological father really was a world renowned terrorist, she really would just as soon not know. Ever. Maybe if she'd been younger and less set on her own life, she would have made an effort. Now? Not so much.
“What does your mom think of you living with your father if she had kept him a secret for all these years?” she asked, blatantly changing the subject from herself back to Abby.
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Post by safetytronic on Dec 15, 2010 22:17:48 GMT 2
Abby sort of listened to Lorna once again. Her mind wondering all over the place, but never straying too far from the conversation at hand. She knew that the first question Lorna asked was really a rhetorical one, and just shrug her shoulders to go along with the question. She kind of figured out why her mom did it as soon as she saw her father’s name. And with think of her mother, tears wanted to be shed for her. She loved her mother, just like she knew her mother loved her.
”What does your mom think of you living with your father if she had kept him a secret for all these years?”
Abby turned to look at Lorna when she asked the question. She swallowed the tears that threaten to expose themselves at the mention of her mother. ”I really don’t know. My mom died a few days ago…” She closed her eyes to hold back the tears and turned her head so that Lorna couldn’t see the struggle of emotions taking place within her. She couldn’t afford to get all emotional now, not when the whole world seemed to be watching her.
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Post by lorna on Dec 15, 2010 22:31:52 GMT 2
When Abby turned to look at her, she could see the unshed tears glistening in the girl's eyes. Honestly, Lorna had no clue what she'd just said but obviously she'd hit a nerve somewhere. Then came the awful truth. Things began to make a bit more sense in her mind now, with the revelation that her mother had died a few days ago, her house had been blown up and she'd moved in with her father.
Abby turned away and Lorna considered just letting the girl deal with her turmoil alone, let her sort through the feelings but she'd been an X-Man too long. She'd seen others who had to deal with the sort of thing that Abby was dealing with and she knew that no matter how strong the girl really was, Abby was still a child. She still needed her mother.
Knowing she'd only met her, Lorna reached out and placed a hand on Abby's shoulder. Physical affection wasn't hard for her. She'd been shown love through hugs and kisses quite often as a child and she was one of the lucky ones. Her parents, her aunt and uncle, still loved her despite the fact she was a mutant. Even if it had been obvious at her birth.
“Abigail,” she said softly, then trailed off. In a move that spoke of some experience in handling distress similar to this, she gently placed her arms around Abby and held on to her. No one was really watching them at that moment, they were close enough to a building that it shielded them a little bit. Abby could stand there stiffly or she could respond, either way didn't matter. All that mattered was that this girl needed to know that it was okay to let the pain out, to let someone else know just how much she was hurting.
A very faint, very subtle green glow surrounded them. If anyone tried to touch Abby now, they'd find a rather strong force field protecting the two of them, magnetic pulses disrupting cameras and making it look like the two people they were trying to capture on film weren't really there. If their cameras worked at all...
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Post by safetytronic on Dec 15, 2010 22:45:24 GMT 2
Before she could get the emotional turmoil under control, Abby felt a hand on her shoulder that was somewhat comforting. It only kept it harder for her to keep the tears from shedding, and then came the unexpected hug. She stood there stiffly for a moment, before her body reacted and returned it. She couldn’t hold them in any longer, and she let the tears fall. She was partial crying because her mother was gone, and partially it was her fault because of it. She missed her mother, and she would miss having her around.
When she could, she started to talk not really thinking that she was opening up to a near stranger. ”It’s my fault she is gone… I should have done what they wanted me to do… If I had, then she would still be here…” She sobbed quietly to Lorna, not knowing what the mutant was doing to keep them hidden. She didn’t even think that her babbling would create more questions if Lorna was even listening to her.
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Post by lorna on Dec 16, 2010 2:55:39 GMT 2
Lorna felt the typical stiffening that accompanied someone who really didn't want to be comforted but she didn't let go. No, she would hold the girl until she squirmed to get away, letting her know that the touch was unwanted. However, Abby didn't pull away. In fact, she leaned into Lorna and the green haired woman felt Abby relax and then the dam burst wide open.
She didn't say anything, knew there was nothing to say. All Lorna did was hold the girl, stroke her back and down her hair. No words were going to take Abby's pain away, nothing would bring back the woman who was the most important person in her life. For all her power, all that others thought she could become with the proper training, there was nothing that Lorna could do for Abby but hold her.
When Abby looked at her and spoke between broken sobs, Lorna gazed at her and listened. Although what she said made no sense whatsoever to her, she did pick up on one very important detail, something that many victims held. Guilt. She'd seen it all too often, especially from children who accidentally harmed or killed someone when their mutation first appeared and they had no control.
“Abby, it wasn't your fault. I don't know what happened but there is no way that you could have stopped something like that from happening,” she said quietly, knowing the words were hollow comfort.
Her father would be the best one to deal with this but Abby had said he was busy with work. If he was home when they got there, he was definitely going to be getting a piece of Lorna's mind. The girl had been through hell the last few days and she needed someone she knew better then a stranger on the street to be spilling things to. Maybe someone who understood what had really happened.
“Just don't bottle it up, okay? Talk, scream, cry, curse, whatever you need to do. Just let it out.”
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Post by safetytronic on Dec 16, 2010 3:23:42 GMT 2
Abby continued to continue to cry and let out her pain into Lorna. Only half listening to her tell her that it wasn’t her fault her mother was blown up. Abby knew better, and no one could tell her differently. Her captors did warn her that if she didn’t do what they told her, she was going to be without a mother. Did she listen? No. Something that she had gotten from her father, which is what her mother had always told her.
”Just don’t bottle it up, okay? Talk, scream, cry, curse, whatever you need to do. Just let it out.”
She only nodded her head and continued to cry until she was only giving dry sobs. ”I should probably head home before my dad starts to worry about me.” She finally said once she pulled herself back together, and stepped away from Lorna. Her heart still hurt, but she could continue on for a while longer.
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Post by lorna on Dec 16, 2010 5:44:41 GMT 2
Abby didn't say anything, just nodded her head and continued to cry against her. One of the nice side effects of the force field she was using was that it also kept the wind off of them. Since the girl had on her coat and her sweater was now a bit wet from tears, Lorna was happy to get all the break from the December weather that she could. Not that she would complain. It wouldn't be the first time she'd been a bit uncomfortable in the weather and at least this time, there was no one trying to kill them.
That she knew about.
Eventually, the sobs died down as Lorna knew they would. Abby was probably exhausted and likely had a headache from all the crying. That was how she usually felt after a good, long cry. However, she also felt rather refreshed afterwards but dealing with the loss of the only parent you knew would be a much harder grief to get over. One decent cry would likely not make much of a dent.
She pulled away and stated that she should get back home before her dad worried. At least she thought he might worry. For a bit there, Lorna was afraid the man wouldn't even notice she'd gone. Pulling the sleeve of her sweater down over her right hand, she used the soft material to wipe away the remaining tears on Abby's face and eyelashes. If left there, they might actually become uncomfortable from the cold air.
Dissipating the force field, she shivered once when the full brunt of the air hit them. Draping an arm around Abby's shoulder as if to let her know that she wasn't going to leave her alone until she was well into the safe care of her father, she began to lead the way again toward Stark Towers.
“I hope he has some soup or something else warm that you can eat when we get there. We didn't exactly get a chance to eat our meals back at the restaurant and you're probably going to be quite hungry when we arrive,” she told Abby with a soft grin. She didn't expect the girl to answer, just wanted to keep up the small talk to fill the space between them.
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Post by safetytronic on Dec 16, 2010 6:06:05 GMT 2
Abby was now completely aware of the field around them as soon as Lorna dissipated the it from around them. She shivered from it, and was grateful that the older girl had wiped away the wet tears from her face. She was sure she would have felt them by the time she had returned home. She knew her eyes must have been red and puffy from all that, and she thought that perhaps the media wouldn’t recognize her if they looked closely at the figure bundled up in the hooded coat. She then felt Lorna’s arm on her shoulders as they started to walk toward her home.
”I hope he has some soup or something else warm that you can eat when we get there. We didn’t exactly get a chance to eat our meals back at the restaurant and you’re probably going to be quite hungry when we arrive,”
She gave a small smile and shrugged her shoulders in answer to the statement. ”I don’t know if he has soup or something similar. Last night, he went for Burger King. His favorite restaurant, or so I’m told. I didn’t mind it, as it was the first real thing I had to eat in a while…” She elaborated, and continued to walk down the sidewalk. It wasn’t much further before she could see the tower that she now calls home. She paused briefly, still not believing that she lives there.
Abby then continued on after a few moments, more sure of where she was going now. ”I can manage from here, if you have other things to do besides baby-sit a thirteen year old…” She announces as soon as the area became somewhat familiar for her. She also gave Lorna a clean out if she wanted it.
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Post by lorna on Dec 16, 2010 15:19:39 GMT 2
When Abby told her that her father ate Burger King for his meals, it was all Lorna could do to not groan. That was not a good sign at all. It only pointed more to the fact that he was likely a bachelor and having a teenager dropped into his lap was probably the last thing he expected. Especially one with as many emotional problems as she was bound to have. She'd hoped that he'd have at least a wife that would have helped to provide warmth and nurture Abby.
It was one more thing that she would have to discuss with Mr. Rasmussen when they arrived at her home. One did not feed a growing girl Burger King for meals unless one wanted her to be the size of a blimp by the time she was twenty one. The thought actually repulsed her a bit. It didn't help that Abby was still in the shock stage of the loss of her mother and would likely put anything that was placed in front of her in her mouth.
“I'm half tempted to stop by a market now and buy you real food,” she informed Abby with a wry grin on her face. If she wasn't trying to get the girl home in a timely manner, she probably would, too. Maybe she'd come back later and leave a bag of groceries outside their door or something. Anything to make sure that the teenager had a good meal. And instructions on how to cook the food, as well, just in case.
They walked in silence, Abby's relief at seeing the Tower rise before them palatable as they continued. Poor kid was probably even more traumatized by the events of the afternoon. She hoped that her father had the name and number of a really good therapist because she was probably going to need it. If not, Lorna knew a few that she could refer to them, having met them over the last few years she'd lived at the mansion. She knew they specialized in trauma situations like Abby's.
They got a bit closer and Abby informed her that she could take it from there. They were near the entrance to the Tower at that point and while Lorna had no doubt the girl could, she wasn't about to leave her now. Besides, the fact that she was only thirteen, and not an older teenager, didn't sit well with the green haired mutant at all. Sure, there was only three years different in what she thought her age was but those three years brought about a ton of experience.
“You're only thirteen?” she asked, not able to help herself. “I thought you were older then that.” She really acted more of an adult then some of the actual ones she knew back home.
“I'm not leaving until I see your father take you into your home. Not after what you've been through. Then you can be rid of me, I promise,” she added with a smile. After coming this far, to have something happen to Abby because she was cold and wanted to eat, wasn't going to happen. She would make sure the kid was safe and sound before tending to her own wants. Besides, she still owed her twenty bucks for her half of their untouched meal and handing over cash on the streets of New York was bound to cause attention neither of them wanted.
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Post by safetytronic on Dec 16, 2010 19:59:21 GMT 2
Abby nodded her head in answer to her stopping by the market for some nutritious groceries, but she doubt that her father would actually cook the meal. Most likely he would have someone cook it for them. She probably knew that he would be working in his workshop tinkering with his armor or something else mechanical instead of taking care of the meals and such. She wondered if Jarvis can cook…
”I’m not leaving until I see your father take you into your home. Not after what you’ve been through. Then you can be rid of me, I promise,”
She nodded her head, completely understanding. She was actually glad to have someone to talk to other than her father and Jarvis. It was a refreshing change. ”I’m not trying to get rid of you. I just didn’t want to keep you any longer than needed…” She explained as she continued up to the door of the tower and marched over the elevator. She politely waited for Lorna to catch up to her, and then pressed the button for the penthouse. ”I doubt my dad had even noticed I’ve been gone…” She attempted to make conversation as the elevator rose to her new home. Her eyes still red and her nose still a bit puffy from crying earlier.
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Post by TONY STARK on Dec 16, 2010 20:37:02 GMT 2
Tony had just came back from getting his suit fitting for him, and rather quickly too. There was about a couple of hours left before the party but obviously there could be trouble at any time. Just like what happen about an hour ago, that strange women. Wanda was her name, and a very powerful person at that. But he really couldn't think about that right now it seemed as if Abigail wasn't back yet. It was freezing and he knew that Abigail didn't know much of the city. He started to worry, seeing as she was just liberated from captivity just a day or so ago. Tony wondered if she was doing okay and if she ate anything today. Well he couldn't just wait, if she was in trouble he was going to help her. He then forced the Iron Man suit out of his body to cover him in the suit.
But before he left to jump out the open window he heard a ding in the elevator to get there. He walked out of his penthouse door and saw Abigail walk out with a green haired women. She looked beautiful, and it looked like she took care of Abigail. The Iron Man helmet then went back into his body, but leaving the rest of the suit out. Tony then started to walk towards then and smiled at Abigail his worries diminished at that moment. "Well look at you, you worried me; you know we need to give you a tracker or something" he told her with a smile. Her eyes were puffy and a little red, "You alright Abby? have you been crying" he asked concerning.
He then looked up at the green haired women who seemed to be just standing there. "I'm guessing I have you to thank for bringing Abigail home safely can I repay you with anything?" he asked with a smile on his face.
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Post by lorna on Dec 16, 2010 21:14:20 GMT 2
They walked into Stark Towers and Abby immediately went toward the elevator. Lorna looked around a bit, wondering if anyone was going to stop them since she knew the security in that place was something else. She could feel the metal all around them, hidden in the walls and along the ceiling. The place was remarkable and when she left, she was going to make sure she stopped and did a bit of sightseeing. It was the first time she'd ever been in the famous building.
The security guard at the elevator merely nodded to them as Abby pressed the button for the top floor and they entered. That was interesting...although considering that the press had been after her, it really didn't surprise her that she likely came from money. She'd heard it rumored that Tony Stark himself lived in the penthouse, though...
Lorna frowned a bit as Abby said that she doubted her dad had even noticed she was gone. That was a bit disturbing. How could one easily misplace or ignore a thirteen year old?
When the elevator doors opened, Lorna stepped out with Abby, then froze. She watched as Iron Man's helmet melted into his head and revealed the face of Tony Stark. Lorna blinked a few times, as if to make sure she wasn't just imagining what she was seeing. Nope, he was still there, smiling and talking to Abby about how she'd worried him.
That's when the reality of what was going on washed over her like a bucket of ice water. Abigail Rasmussen was Tony Stark's child? Even Lorna, who spent most of her time either at the mansion studying or on campus in class knew that he was the city's (if not the world's) most eligible bachelor so this girl couldn't have come from a marriage. And really, he wasn't that much older then her, was he?
The numbers were beginning to give her a headache and when he turned that brilliant and sexy smile on her, Lorna felt her knees go weak. About fifteen really inappropriate replies came to her mind when he asked her how he could repay her. Remembering all that Abby had been through, she strengthened her resolve. No man, no matter how hot, was going to affect her like that. Especially one who walked around in a metal suit that she could bend with her pinky.
“Actually, Mr. Stark,” she began, her green eyes meeting his own in almost determination. “You can repay me by paying more attention to Abby. The poor girl has been through hell and back and if I had been just about anyone else, who knows where she might be right now.”
By this point, she was rekindling her anger toward the man who was Abby's father, just as she'd felt when they'd been walking. Turning away from Stark, she dug into her purse and pulled out a piece of paper and a twenty dollar bill. Writing something on the paper, she held it out for Abby and said, “Here, this is my cell phone number if you need anything. Just don't go wandering in the city alone until you are more familiar with it, okay?”
She didn't even explain the money.
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Post by safetytronic on Dec 16, 2010 21:48:30 GMT 2
Abby exited the elevator as soon as it opened to the penthouse floor, only to come face to face with her father. He was in one of his Iron Man suits, and when he saw her she watched as the helmet seemed to retract back into his body. However, she was slightly surprised to find that she had indeed worried him with her absence and of course she felt slightly bad for it. She knew he didn’t need to worry about her and all. He had a company to tend to, and to save innocent people from the horrors of the world. She resolved to be a bit more careful in the future.
"Well look at you, you worried me; you know we need to give you a tracker or something ... You alright Abby? have you been crying"
She closed the small distance between the two of them and looked into his eyes. ”I’m sorry. Somehow I got the attention of the press after leaving one of the electronic specialty shops, and when I ran from them I got lost. Then there was this man that seemed like a private detective who was looking for me…” She explained to him not really sure if she was making any sense to him or not. ”Lorna took care of me, and it reminded me of my mom…" She answered his questions and felt the tears start to well back in her eyes again. She wasn’t just about to tell him that she knew it to be her fault that her mother was gone. She felt that it was a burden she would have to bare herself.
“Here, this is my cell phone number if you need anything. Just don't go wandering in the city alone until you are more familiar with it, okay?”
Abby forced the tears back this time to remember that she still had Lorna’s coat on her. She took it off just in time to exchange it for the money and the piece of paper. She took the paper, but passed the bill back to her new friend. ”No need to do that. And thank you for your help. I’ll will be sure to call if I need anything…” She responded to the statement and then added, ”I’ll be sure to learn more of the city before running from the media…” She answered with a small sad smirk, still not completely over the loss of her mother and her crying from it.
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Post by TONY STARK on Dec 17, 2010 2:19:37 GMT 2
Tony looked at the women with a smile as she told him how she could repay her. He was actually great full that this women helped out Abby when she must have better things to do with her time. He then watch as the women gave Abby a twenty dollar pill and a piece of paper. With a quick glance it had some numbers in it, which was supported by the women telling Abby if she needed her all she had to do was call. "Again thanks for taking care of Abby and I'm grateful it didn't end badly". He looked to Abby and placed his hand on top of her head, smiling. Tony looked back up to Lorna and still had his smile looking into her eyes. "Well I'm about to be off to a party in a little, but if you want you can stay for a minute and eat. I'm going to order Abigail some food and you can eat with her while I get ready for the party". Tony looked at his watch which told him that he had about a couple of hours left.
He turned his attentions to Abby who explained the situation to him, which made him start to worry again. Not of the press, because that was natural. What worried him however was the private detective that seemed to be after Abigail. It looked like her uncle wasn't above of trying to do any means necessary to find her. "That is puzzling, well at least your safe, I'm going to look into it. In till then I want you to stay in the Tower in till I have this resolved okay Abigail. Don't want something happening to you. Anyway if you need anything tell Jarvis and he will tell one of the many staff here and they will get it for you".
He smirked a bit at them both as he walked over to the penthouse door and opened it. "Come on it's a lot warmer in here then it is out here. Plus I think Jarvis just made a pot of coffee". He waited with the door opened so they could walk in side.
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