An Ending and a Beginning (November 2001)

With so many people in the Tower and after long days of suit training, led by a very strict and hard Isabella. She did not appear to have patience for levity. But he could understand that. Serena was with her grandparents, Tony was either horrible to be near or 'needy' and that contributed to her attitude. Frank took it in stride though. He had to learn how to use the suit and be effective. He was a quick learner, which helped but they had gotten into a couple, really good heated arguments.

Today though was his and Ava's opportunity to get some much needed alone time. They had to confront Micro which they both knew was going to be very a very nasty business. And, if they were in the mood after, go find an engagement ring. With access to food they were not used to eating, they both had gained a little bit of weight. he liked it on Ava though he knew she didn't. She wanted to get a dress and be able to fit into it so she was spending a fair amount of time in the gym. They both did. Ava was insatiable in the bedroom. She was an affectionate creature before but now, that they had their own room, a nice, big bed, a massive, private shower, she took full advantage of the added comfort and privacy. Frank was already ready to go and he sat at the table with his coffee. He put Ava's into a travel mug so it wouldn't get cold so fast. Steve and Kate were there with him. Kate was in her thick, white robe with matching white slippers. Steve was in his blue robe with similar slippers. They both had coffees and were talking with Frank about his training.

"It's going well I think but today, is my day with Ava. We're going to go pick out a ring...finally," Frank said. Steve had been very close to getting Kate a ring before their untimely and short breakup. Hearing Frank talk about it now made him feel...uncomfortable. He glanced at Kate for a moment then looked back down at his coffee. "Well, do you need anything? A little money?" Steve asked. "Incase her eyes see something nice?" He said carefully.

Ava was beyond excited about picking out an engagement ring. She was thrilled to be marrying Frank finally and they both were excited about the baby. They were determined to get through this thing with Loki and then settle down to begin their life together. She knew that Micro was not going to take this well, but this was Frank's decision and Ava supported it...just as she would have supported him if he had decided to continue to go after Rawlins. This was their second chance at a new life...at a family. They both deserved that.

Kate was standing with Frank and Steve out in the kitchen. They had made some coffee and Kate watched as Frank poured for Ava into a travel mug. She was drinking decaf at this point since she was pregnant. Talking about Ava and Frank's engagement caused Kate to think about how close she and Steve might have been to getting engaged before they broke up. She glanced at Steve and could see he was getting uncomfortable. She reached over and gently placed her hand on his and lightly rubbed his skin with her thumb to show him that she wasn't upset. 

Frank declined Steve's offer and after a moment Ava walked out. She smiled and kissed Frank and then took the travel mug.

"Ready to go?"

"Good luck," Steve said and the two made for the elevator. Steve asked Isabella for the loan of a car and Isabella gave him the keys for the Mercedes 4x4. Frank smiled and kissed Ava's hand as he started the engine. He leaned over and kissed her. "I'm so in love with you Ava. You've made me so happy baby," He said and they kissed a bit more before he started them off.

The phones, lights and security systems were all out and the Warehouse was very dark as Frank approached the Garage door. He had to get out, open it, get back in the car, drive in, get out and close the door himself. He and Ava moved into the living area and Micro was well under way with making repairs and replacing electronic components. He had done alot. He heard them come in and he was in olive drab overalls. His face and hands were dirty and he wiped his hands with a dingy towel. His hair was longer and he hadn't shaved in days. He looked decidedly unhappy as he saw them.

"I was wondering when you'd get back. The EMP pulse wiped everything out. I could use a couple extra sets of hands. Where the fuck were you two? We have shit to do, ya know!" He snapped angrily. Frank smiled and turned to Ava. "Ava, why don't you go and pack, I'll catch up to you in a while," Frank said. va saw Micro's eyes narrow at Frank's words and he flashed her a very unfriendly look.

Despite the fact that she had been living in a warehouse the last two years eating microwaved food, Ava was going to miss this place. It had been her home for a time and it was where she and Frank had fallen in love. They had done a lot of good in this warehouse, but now it was time to move on and start their new life. 

Ava had known that Micro was going to be pissed, but as she packed she could hear him and Frank yelling at each other. Her name came up several times by Micro and never in a nice way. Ava could only hope that Micro wouldn't talk Frank out of what they wanted to do. She did her best to ignore the insults she heard hurled at her and continue to pack.

"I told you Frank, I told you! We don't NEED HER! If you need a piece of ass, you could get that without attachments!" Micro yelled. Frank narrowed his eyes at Micro. "I don't like the way you're talking about my fiancee," Frank warned. "You're going to marry her!? Are you that big of an idiot? Rawlins is in our grasp! I know where he'll be Frank. You're gunna throw it all away on some pussy!?" Micro said and then Ava heard the two men scuffle. Frank slammed Micro on the desk and he held him down by his neck. He was choking him. Ava heard Micro gasping for breath.

Ava heard the two men begin to scuffle and then she heard Frank slam Micro down onto the desk. When she heard Micro gasping for breath she rushed out. "Frank no! Please let him go! I don't want you to do this!"

Frank didn't let him up right away. Micro was not a large man and not someone versed in combat. His lips were turning blue and he had a look of fear in his eyes. Frank's face was set in anger and the moment stretched on until Frank blinked. He removed his hand and straightened. Micro gasped and coughed as he fell to the floor.

"I've spent too many years hating! Way to many. You have to. Hate won't bring anyone back Micro. It's not worth it!" Frank growled. "I'm done with Rawlins, done with... and done with you!" Frank said angrily. As Frank turned to step away he heard the distinct sound of a pistol cocking. Ava saw Micro's hand shift and she saw that she was staring down the barrel of a revolver he had pulled out of his belt. "If she's gone, then you'll hate me! Won't you Frank!?" Micro said darkly. Frank paused and lifted his hands. His back was to him and if he moved he knew Micro would shoot. Ava knew it too. She had left her Amulet in the safe in their apartment.

Ava's heart began to beat hard in her chest as she found herself staring down the barrel of a revolver Micro had pulled out of his belt. She didn't have the amulet with her and so she was powerless. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Frank had stopped moving. His back was turned to them. She looked back at Micro.

"Micro, please. Don't do this. I know you. I know you are better than this. Frank and I both lost our families and that's what we want...it's what we need...what we deserve. Anger just feeds more anger. Killing Rawlins won't be enough. It won't take away the pain of what he did. I know that first hand. Killing Gideon Mace didn't bring my family back. It didn't take away that pain. You can either spend the rest of your life living in anger...or you can decide to let it go and move on. That's what Frank has decided to do. He needs this. In this way he's beat Rawlins because he's no longer letting him control his life. You're Frank's friend. I hope you can understand that. But this is your chance too. Your chance to move on and start a new life. You are so talented Micro. There is so much you could do if you just took that chance."

"Micro...Ava's pregnant," Frank said with his hands up. Micro's eyes looked furious and his hand shifted slightly outward. Ava knew he was on the verge of shooting and she knew where the gun was pointed. Right at her stomach or chest. "You don't...understand...I can't DO THIS ALONE!" Micro said in desperation. "I'm sorry Micro, we're out. We're Avengers now," Frank said. That seemed to shock Micro as much as finding out Ava was pregnant. "We're done...Micro, it's time," Frank said. Ava saw Micro's face. It was desperate and also resolute. A dangerous combination. "Then I guess its all done then," Micro said. In that moment, Ava saw death decided. Micro shifted the gun to his own head and pulled the trigger.

"NO!" Ava screamed and she moved towards him, but he had already pulled the trigger. The sound was sickening and blood and bits of brain splattered everywhere. Ava saw everything as if in slow motion. She saw the life leave Micro's eyes and his body start to crumble beneath him like he was a doll that was being dropped to the floor. His eyes seemed to remain on her...staring up at her lifelessly. Ava suddenly felt ill. She turned and rushed over to the sink and emptied out the contents of her stomach. Ava had seen death before and it was never easy. But this...this was different. This...this she felt as responsible for as if she had pulled the trigger herself. 

She thought she heard Frank's voice, but it sounded distant and muffled. The room around her started to spin and her knees felt like jello. The last thing she remembered was feeling Frank's arms around her and then everything went black.

Frank jerked when he heard the shot and just managed to catch Ava before she fell onto the floor. He didn’t know what happened at first. He was in a panic as he thought it was Ava that had been shot. He discovered quickly that that had not been the case.

He laid her down onto her old bed. She was breathing normally and so he just left her there and went to take care of the body and clean the place of their presence. There were no computers or hard drives to worry about. No way for anyone to electronically connect him or Ava here. The warehouse had a large furnace and he spent a little time getting a good flame going before he stuffed Micro’s body into it. He wiped everything clean and bleached the area and disposed of anything that might lead anyone back to him or Ava. He packed her things and anything that he couldn’t fit into the car, he burned. He hoped she’d not miss anything

He took all of the money ofcourse. Micro wasn’t going to need it and he knew there had to be upwards of $300k in assorted, non sequential bills. The world did not really know Ava and so maybe he could set it aside for her and the baby if something happened to him? That or a trust fund for the baby? Those were both good ideas and he decided that perhaps both he and Ava should change their last names? Another good idea, he thought.

Ava finally came to when she felt a jolt from the steer. A yellow can honked at another driver and Frank had to stop for the street light. “Finally, you’re awake. I was about to take us back to the tower,” Frank said.

Ava dreamt about that horrible moment. It replayed over and over again in her head. She heard the shot...saw Micro's body drop to the floor. His eyes stared lifelessly up at her, but suddenly his lips began to move. You did this to me....


Ava jerked awake and for a moment she struggled to get her breath. She looked around and realized that they were in the car. Her mouth felt dry and tasted horrible from being sick. She didn't need to ask if it had been a dream or not...she knew it wasn't when she saw the car was stuffed full of their stuff. "What did you do with...him?"

Frank steered with his knees long enough to uncap a plastic water bottle and handed it to her. "You don't need to worry about that. Micro was obsessed beyond reason. I know he was just using me but I had no idea how much. I let this go one too long. This was his fault and my fault. You did nothing Ava, and we won't talk about this again," Frank said softly. "There's no connection between us and the warehouse. Everything was cleaned, even the tire tracks of this car," He said. "How do you feel? You were out for 2 hours," Frank said.

Ava felt numb as she took the water bottle from Frank and took a sip. Her mouth and throat tasted like acid, but the water helped. She glanced over at Frank as he told her what he had done. She could only nod a little. She knew Frank well enough to know that he would have ensure that nothing could be traced back to them. When he asked her how she felt she just stared out the window.

"I...I don't know how I feel right now." Then she felt a few tears come to her eyes. "I...I tried to talk to him..."

"We both did. This is not on us Ava. We need to let this go. I wanted this day to just be about us. I wanted...I wanted to see you try on some rings," Frank said. He felt guilt over saying this but if they didn't do it today, god knows when they would have another chance. "What do you want to do babe?" Frank asked.

At first, Ava wanted to tell Frank that she just wanted to go back to the Tower. But with Frank training with the Iron Man suit she didn't know when they might get another shot. She took another sip from the water bottle and screwed the cap back on. "Let's go look at rings."

Frank stopped at a party store and got Ava a tin of mints and another cold, bottle of water. Tony had told him where to go and ofcourse, the jewelry shop was in one of the nicest parts of Manhattan. Both he and Ava were dressed casually but the brands were of the nicer variety. It was difficult to find cheaper brands when you lived in one of the nicest areas of New York City.

The mall was not packed with people as it usually might be. There were makeshift lights put up here and there and there was armed security everywhere. "You hungry? I could use another coffee, he said as he spied a Starbucks.

After they received their order they sat down for a breather. Frank held Ava's hand and the dim lights actually made their tiny table seem more intimate. He lightly rubbed the knuckles of her hand as he watched her eat.

"We need to think of names too I guess huh? Did you have any ideas?" He asked.

Ava was actually hungry and was glad when Frank spied the Starbucks and suggested they take a short break. She had a hot chocolate and a muffin. She was trying to forget what had happened, but it was proving to be difficult. However, being with Frank helped. She felt him pick up her hand and begin to lightly caress it. She couldn't help but smile a little when he asked her about names.

"We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl."

"Then you throw out some girl names and then I will. Same with boy names," He said with a grin. "But, would you be opposed to Hector? If it is a boy?" He asked. "In honor if your brother," Frank asked as he kissed her hand. "Would that, make you happy Ava? All I want to do right now, is make you happy," Frank said.

"You put up with so much and you never complained. We're a bit spoiled in the tower, aren't we?" He asked. "But...I really like the king sized bed," he said softly as he kissed her palm gently then looked up into her, gorgeous, dark eyes.

Ava felt a few happy tears come to her eyes when Frank suggested the name Hector if it was a boy in honor of her brother. She did her best to wipe them away, but a few slipped down her cheeks. "Yes...yes that would make me very happy."

She took a napkin and wiped her eyes, hoping that she didn't mess up her eye makeup. When she was finished Frank picked up her hand and kissed her palm gently. She looked into his eyes and she smiled. "Yes, we are spoiled there...but I think we could use a little spoiling." He released her hand and she took a sip of her hot chocolate. She looked at him and then put down the cup. "You like being an Avenger, don't you?"she asked with a little grin.

"I do. We have resources and help. I mean, look at us? We're facing a serious threat and out looking for a wedding ring. We aren't under the gun and our lives are not put on hold because some godlike lunatic wants to hold the world hostage. I mean...look at them," Frank nodded to a couple. They were in a dark corner of the coffee shop making out. They were younger and very into what they were doing.

"The city took a major hit and everyone is pulling together. It was a mistake to take on so much without allowing ourselves to benefit from what we were actually fighting for. I want to live Ava. I want to enjoy the life we have together. I want to...make crazy, passionate love to you as much as I can and watch our baby grow inside you," Frank said as he gave her hand a squeeze. "I want to give you a safe place to raise our child. I'm going to spoil you Ava. I hope you know that," he said. Frank was a very generous lover as it was. He assumed that was one of the reasons she loved to make love with him. But beyond that, he wanted to take her shopping and go out and have nice meals with her. They never did that before because they were in hiding.

Ava reached out and took Frank's hand and looked into his eyes. "Well, maybe you should see if they'll give you a permanent place on the team. You're very good at what you do and in this way you wouldn't be seeking revenge, but you would be truly helping others. However, that decision is yours. I just want to let you know that if you do choose to stay that I will support you. However, if you would rather leave once all of this is over and work in construction I will support that as well."

"What about you Ava? Will you be content with taking care of our baby? Will you want to continue on as the White Tiger? What if we want more children? I know we've not talked about it," He said as he took a sip of his coffee. "I don't know if we can do both," he said. He would not push her into anything. He wanted to feel her out as to what her thoughts were about being a mom and putting away the White Tiger Suit.

Ava sighed as she thought about his question. It was a difficult decision and she wasn't certain there was a right answer there. "To be honest, I'm not certain if I'm completely ready to put away the White Tiger suit. But, do I really need to? I mean, look at Isabella. She's a mother and she's Sapphire. I'm not saying that I'm not happy that I'm becoming a mother...because I am. I guess I just like the idea of knowing that we could truly save lives and put our abilities to good use. We could help make the world a better place for our child."

Frank decided not to broach the question of more children until if and when it was happening. He decided to focus on this first one, and what was going to be best for all three of them. He wasn't ready to settle into a 9 to 5. He loved the excitement of being an Avenger. And, though he'd never admit it, he liked being Ironman. They talked until Ava finished her muffin and then headed to the Jewelry store. Frank told them who recommended them and just mentioning Tony Stark's name had them being treated like royalty. Frank was given a glass of champagne but because Ava was pregnant, they offered her chocolates and sparkling water while she looked at rings. Frank told her that she could have whatever she wanted and he proved that when she made her selection. He knew she was horrified at the cost but when he pulled out the roll of bills for the down payment he grinned when he just handed them the money like it was nothing.