15-Ring of Fire

Steve was sitting next on a stool in Tony's lab, going over the details of Peyton's disappearance with Natasha for what must have been the millionth time when the glass lab door opened. Natasha stopped mid sentence as she looked up. Steve looked up as well and saw Clint Barton standing there. Tony stopped talking to Bruce and the air stilled. Steve swore he could hear the Kill Bill sirens as Clint and Natasha looked at each other. Steve glanced at Bruce, who looked as uncomfortable as Steve felt.

Tony had put two and two together. His sister and Legolas used to be incredibly close, but after the miscarriage, there had been no mention of him. He never visited her at the hospital but Natasha did. Steve sent her things, but Clint never did. And now, the look Natasha was giving him confirmed his suspicions. Clint Barton was the man that had hurt his baby sister and that made Tony's blood boil.

"Clint, a word." Natasha said, standing up and quickly crossed the room. Her blood was boiling too. Clint Barton had some balls to be strolling in here after all the pain he had caused Peyton. Natasha would have kicked his ass right at that moment if she hadn't thought of little Cooper Barton who needed his father. Clint swallowed and followed her out of the lab and down the hall.

Steve sat there, a little dumbfounded as he slowly put things together. Peyton and Clint were more than friends. He knew that when he had walked in on them sitting extremely close back on the Helicarrier before they had fought Loki. Her hands cupping his cheeks, his hands on her hips. Friends don't sit in each other's laps, at least they didn't sit like that during the forties. Peyton's legs were wrapped around his waist and Clint was blushing when Steve had opened the door.

They were more than friends, but was Clint the father of the baby that Peyton had lost? With how Tony and Natasha looked at the archer, Steve didn't think it was impossible.

-

Clint knew he was an idiot as soon as he walked into the lab that Peyton, Bruce, and Tony shared. He knew he was a huge fucking idiot when Natasha and Tony glared at him. He had no right to be here. He had no right to want to help find Peyton, especially after she had been missing for almost two weeks now.

And that was exactly what Natasha was telling him.

"You have no fucking right to want to save her!" Natasha snapped at him, the tiny red head jamming her finger into Clint's chest. Clint sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Leave and go back to your wife and son."

"I can do something, Nat-" He tried, but that only made Natasha angrier. She put her arm against his throat and slammed him against the clean, cold grey wall. The Russian spy cut off his breathing slightly, her green eyes glaring at him.

"She's not going to wrap herself back around your finger. You fucked up, Barton. Go back to Laura." Nat almost growls at him. Clint looked at his friend, pressing his lips together tightly. The spy drops him and he sucks in air greedily.

"Just fucking go home." She says one more time before turning on her heel and walking back towards the lab.

-

I, Peyton Annemarie Stark, might be a fucking genius. Or a fucking idiot.

My body is probably broken in some places, bruised and bloody in most places thanks to Kenna's daily beatings. My red robe is torn and stained now, but it wasn't like it was covering anything. But those beatings are, dare I say it, worth it because of what I came up with. The brilliant (or stupid) idea came to me maybe a few days ago. What's the idea, you might be asking? Well you will find out right now. I had told Kenna that I was ready to work with them, but I needed to talk to Aiden. Apparently I am a better actress than I thought, because she only left moments ago, and now all three of them are here.

"You wanted to speak to me, sister?" Aiden asks as they walk towards me. Bite your tongue, don't blow this. I nod and look up them, making my face look defeated as I lay bloody and broken on the ground. Kai and Kenna glance at each other before looking back at me.

"Yes. I've decided to join you, but there is one thing you must let me do before..." I say, voice hoarse and he nods. I look over to Kenna before speaking, "You must've noticed I have been getting weaker, right?" Aiden looks over to his sister, tilting his head. Kenna sighs and nods.

"She has been, but I didn't think too much of it." She responds. Her pale hands are still covered in my blood. Don't say shit. Aiden turns his head back to me, motioning me to continue. I nod and I force myself to cough hard.

"When you guys took me, I was in the middle of my Burning. You guys didn't let my finish and-and if I don't finish soon, I won't last long." My voice sounds weak as I lie to them. I have never done two Burnings back to back and part of me does not want to find out what will happen. I silence that part of myself as Aiden's eyes widen slightly.

"Mother used to have to go through Burnings as well, I can remember that from my childhood." Aiden says, mostly to himself. He thinks for a few moments before he comes to his decision, shocking Kai, Kenna, and I. He turns to his two siblings and tells them, "Unchain and uncuff her. Now"

"Are you sure that is a good idea, brother?" Kai speaks and it's the first time I've heard him speak. His voice is cold and sharp as he glances at me. Aiden narrows his eyes at his little brother.

"Are you disobeying my orders, Kai?" Aiden asks and it's really hard to keep myself from rolling my eyes. Kenna touches Kai's shoulders, seemingly calming him down before pulling out a pair of gold keys. She walks towards me, as does Kai. He takes out his own pair of keys and gets to work unlocking my ankles while Kenna unlocks my wrists. This is too easy. Something is going to go wrong. Kai takes one of my arms and Kenna takes the other, lifting me up. Pain shoots through my body and I bite my cheek to keep myself from screaming. They force me on my feet and I stand shakily on them. The three siblings all step back and I let my torn robe fall to the ground. My flames purr to me and welcome them. They're too eager.

They spring to life at my feet and quickly climb my bare legs. They're excited to take over. They move faster and faster, wrapping themselves around my body. I tilt my head back and spread my arms out as they move up chest back. Flames spring to life at my finger tips and  climb up arms. My body moves to lay in the air and I turn my head to look at the three siblings. They are all entranced by the flames. I quickly pray the Hail Mary before I open my mouth and let the flames take full control.

-

The heat surge is what alerts Tony to where his sister is. It's unnaturally hot and consistent with its heat. It had Peyton Annemarie Stark written all over it. Within an hour, Natasha, Bruce, Tony, and Steve were on a Quinn Jet, on their way to the small Virginian town.

Steve had guessed that there was once a house on top of the concrete basement, but what was left of it was in either ashes or they were charred and stubbornly still standing. They couldn't get too close to what was left of the house. It was unbearable hot, so only Tony moved closer to the house. He knew that there was one way that it could be that hot.

"Fuck. Okay Bruce, I was right. I need you to play track seven. Now." Tony ordered. Bruce was back at the Quinn Jet and it was his job to hit a button on a tablet. Within seconds, a song was blasted through the speakers Tony had put around the Quinn Jet.

"Please allow me to introduce myselfI'm a man of wealth and tasteI've been around for a long, long yearStole many a man's soul and faith"

"You sure this is going to work, Stark?" Steve asked, calling loudly over the music. Tony must've been too focused on the cement basement door to answer back, so Natasha did it for him.

"And I was 'round when Jesus ChristHad his moment of doubt and painMade damn sure that PilateWashed his hands and sealed his fate"

"Never underestimate a Stark's love for music, Rogers." Natasha told him and Steve nodded, hoping she was right.

"Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my nameBut what's puzzling you is the nature of my game"

-

I could hear "Sympathy for the Devil" through my fiery haze. It was hot, so so hot. It was almost like an oven. I was on the ground still, I knew that. The concrete was burning against my back. I let my eyes open and I was shocked to say the least.

I was not on the ground.

I was on the ceiling, like something out of a horror movie.

I lowered myself back to the ground, standing on weak legs. I looked around the room. The little furniture that was in the room was ash and that wasn't the only thing that was ash. By the door, was a large pile of ash. The pile of ash paired with the claw marks in the iron door showed the fate of my siblings.

I didn't feel bad, not one bit.

I shakily walked past the pile of ash and started to slam my dirty and still somewhat bloody hands against the iron door. I hit it as hard as I could and started to scream. The muffled music suddenly stopped. I could hear Tony's suit powering up so I stepped away from the door, moving out of its path. With moments, the door flew off of its hinges after blast from my dear brother. I climbed up the hot cement stairs and up into the world. In front of me stood Tony in his red and gold suit.

"Tones..." I breathe, a smile on my face just as my legs give out from underneath me. Tony moves to grab me, still in his suit. My arm wraps around his neck and that's when I see my skin has a subtle glow to it. Tony's face plate slides open right before I pass out, his concerned brown eyes the last thing I see.