You had heard Vison's voice before you saw him, which was doing both of you a major disservice; if you had been able to see him and his condition and could also understand better what had happened to him, the conversation would have begun much differently. Happy had stayed at the compound with you so that you could be more comfortable, but also because he was scared of what was happening in the world beyond the walls that were safer than any other. You had locked yourself away in your room, waiting for Vision and Wanda to come home to collect you, not wanting anyone to see just how broken you were at the loss of your dad and your best friend without even a hint of warning.

They had to know that you would do anything you could to find them and bring them home. You may have been only nine-years-old, but you had been around your dad in his lab enough to have learned a few tricks here and there. Once Vision got here, you could maybe convince him that you were good and that he didn't need to babysit so that you could get to work. The adults may have found it ridiculous to think that someone of your age could find answers that eluded them, but you were a Stark, and you couldn't care less about what they all thought.

That idea to work fell apart nearly as quickly as you had devised it once you saw Vision. He looked like he was hiding something, his posture very rigid and his expression different in a way that you couldn't quite place. His hand was awkwardly resting on his side, tucked safely away under the edge of his cape so that his secret was effectively hidden from view. Once he saw you in return, his expression softened and he walked with relief towards you, as if he hadn't been sure that this moment would happen again.

"(Y/N), are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"I am so very sorry to hear about your father and Mr. Parker," he continued softly. "I'm certain that this is quite difficult-"

"I said, I'm fine. Uncle Happy has taken care of me, so I'm not sure why you're here. He's doing a good job, so you can go back to whatever it is that you're doing with the team." He had chosen Wanda one too many times, when he had sworn to keep you safe, and he would have to earn your trust back.

"Mr. Stark's directions were clear. And...I-I wanted to see you," he groaned, his voice faltering with static and an eerie mechanical tone behind it; it was the same sound of the final time you had heard JARVIS, and it put you into an immediate panic. You swore that you saw the light in his eyes flicker and fail as you watched him pause to sit. When his hand shifted enough for you to see the massive tear in his suit and the sparking wires beneath it, you were awash in both regret and terror.

"Viz? What's wrong?"

"I will be alright, (Y/N). There's nothing to worry about."

"I can see that there is! What happened?"

"Nothing to concern yourself with, (Y/N). Please, I just need a moment-"

"Stop lying to me!" you burst out unexpectedly. "I'm tired of everyone babying me! I know when something is wrong, alright? My dad and Pete are lost in space, Uncle Happy is scared to go outside, and you're really hurt."

He glanced back to Wanda, as if looking for guidance, but she offered none. She knew as well as he did that you were appealing to the JARVIS within him, forcing the parental side to come through for you and to be honest like he always had been. "(Y/N)-" he began, but was again halted by a wave of circuit failures. Wanda knelt at his side and waved her hand slowly over him, trying her best to heal the wound in any way that she could.

"Vision," you began again, only this time much softer and kneeling before him, "tell me what's happening, please. I can handle it."

"You are too wise for your own good," he whispered, "you get that from your father."

"I got it from JARVIS, too."

"Of course."

"But you're hurt, Viz, so tell me what's going on and what I can do to help you. I've already lost two dads in my lifetime, and I can't lose a third."

If an android could express pure shock, Vision was instantly a master of it. Silence had suddenly fallen over the room as everyone held their breath for his response. "Is...is that how you see me, (Y/N)?"

"Yeah, I do. I know we don't get along all the time, and that's a lot of me just being a pain, and I'm really sorry for all of it. Can you forgive me?"

"Darling, there is nothing to be forgiven other than for my own behavior. I have made promises to you that I have not kept, and I am truly, very sorry. I will not fail you again."

~~~

Vision didn't waste any time making good on his word.

Within a few short hours of their arrival home, Vision and Wanda were arguing with Steve about their plans to bring you along to Wakanda, where there was hope that someone could remove the mind stone and leave most of him intact. Even to you, even at this young age, you could feel that it was a long shot at best, and a grab of desperation at anything that would slow down the threat that was coming.

Even at this young age, you understood the risks of travelling with a team like the Avengers, but you didn't care. Vision needed you, and so did Tony and Peter, wherever they were. There was no force in the world that could keep you behind at the compound now, not even the argument that you could just barely hear from Steve.

"Vision, she's nine," he insisted, "and this is no place for her. She should stay here with Happy where he can keep her safe."

"I will not leave my daughter behind, Captain."

"Vision-"

"No, you will not sway my decision," he argued, with Wanda standing steady next to him. "If this ends poorly for me, and we cannot remove the stone in time, I want a chance to say goodbye to her properly. She has lost her biological parents, and now her adoptive as well. Put yourself into my place for a moment and tell me that you would not feel the same."

On the far side of the hangar from them, Nat was carrying your suitcase, filled with a few items of clothing and your favorite book that Tony would read to you from almost every night before bedtime. If you couldn't have him here with you, you would bring a memory of him that reminded you to stay strong until you saw him again. And you would...you knew that.

"We're doing everything we can to find them, I promise. We're going to find them." Natasha gave you a hesitant smile, taking your hand to cross the expansive room to board the quinjet. Her hold on your hand was strong, but you could feel a slight shake in it like she might actually not believe what she was saying.

"I know."

"I'd bet you anything that Tony is up there right now, devising a plan to get back here to you as fast as he can. He's probably building his own spaceship out of spare parts and duct tape."

You didn't want to picture it, your dad worried and struggling to find a way home; it was too sad and you had to maintain the little strength you had left. There was nothing you wanted more than for the hand you were holding now to be his instead of hers, and to be hearing his gentle voice soothing you to sleep where this would all be okay. But you couldn't think of that now; there was work to be done, and he would be expecting you to do it. "So, where's Wakanda?"

"Africa. T'Challa's sister, Shuri might be able to help remove the stone from Vision's head without hurting him. There's someone who wants it pretty bad, so we need to destroy it before they can get it."

"Is that why Viz and Wanda look so sad?"

"Yeah."

"He still might die, right? He's trying to hide it from me, but I can tell that he's worried. She hasn't left him once since you all got here."

"Look at me, (Y/N)," she stopped, kneeling down to be sure to hold your gaze, and to see her resolve as she spoke, "we're working hard to make sure that he doesn't. We all know how much you need each other, and we'll do anything that we have to so that you stay together, okay?"

"Okay."

With a nod, she accepted your reply, standing up with a new determination to make her promise hold. "And then we find Tony and Pete. We can do this."

"Are you convincing me or you?" you asked quietly.

"How about a little bit of both?"