While Our Blood’s Still Young

Alias Investigations

The next morning

10:23 a.m.

Dreams are a place where people go to be relieved, inspired, cared for, rejoiced, and find semblance of peace. Nightmares are shadows that creep into those places, twist it into their demented vision, and trap the people there until the shadows are spent. The light and goodness of dreams to powerful to hold off forever. But sometimes, dreams can't fight back. The shadows overpowering the light.

Violet rarely dreamed anymore.

Billy's muffled screams, his dead eyes, his blood leaking to the floor fueled her nightmares. They varied from time to time, but one nightmare outweighed the rest. It was the most consistent, the most powerful, the most terrifying.

It started with Violet walking a dingy, narrow hallway. The lights overhead flickering, revealing webs and spiders skittering across the ceiling and walls, and rats scurrying around her feet. She wore the skeleton costume, the one from that fateful Halloween. She followed the muffled screams of her brother, but at a slow leisurely place that maddened her every time she was here. There were opened doors in the corridor, and each one held a terrifying sight to behold.

One held The Captain bashing in heads with a sledgehammer. One head after another set on the table in front of him until he smashed it into goop. Another head appeared to replace it. He smirked, eyes white as a sheet before he swung the hammer, grunting with exertion. Another held The Winter Soldier flaying a man alive who was hung naked to the ceiling. The man was in agony, thrashing about and screaming, but no sound came out. A voiceless cry. The Winter Soldier threw pieces of skin at the walls, licking the blood of the blade with a demented smile. His eyes were crimson, bleeding onto his cheeks as he laughed at his victims' pain.

On the other side of the hall, The Black Widow shoved salt down their throats. Her victims tied to a chair, spitting out blood and salt. They begged her to stop, to kill them now and be done with it. She just laughed. Eyes the color of burnt Sienna. She and The Winter Soldier smiled at Violet when she passed by. Hungry, drooling smiles growing in their intensity as they sniffed the air, catching her scent.

In the largest room sat Tony Stark, laughing and drinking scotch as people were thrown into the trash compactor several yards in front of him by The Hulk at the other end of the room. The Hulk roared in victory as Tony clapped, congratulating the monster on a job well done. Tony's eyes were black as coals, Hulk's bottle green. The same green she saw that night.

Then the hallway would end, leaving Violet in a black empty room. One light shined from above her, over Billy's kneeling body. He wasn't moving. He never moved. Neither did Violet. Tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of him. Everything was so cold.

"Welcome back," a cruel said behind her.

Violet turned.

The Avengers stood tall in all their bloody glory, proud and arrogant as they advanced towards the Omega. Tony still laughed. The Hulk from beside him. The Captain adjusted his grip on the bloody sledgehammer. The Winter Soldier's bloody knife glinted in the dim light. The Black Widow smiled at Violet from beside him.

The pair stepped forward; hands outstretched.

"Let's play," The Widow would say before they all advanced on Violet.

Then she would wake up screaming and refused to sleep for 3-4 days.

Tonight, the nightmare changed. It started off the same, walking past the rooms where the Avengers tortured innocent victims. Then she reached Tony's room.

He sat on the same luxurious couch, laughing as he normally did while the Hulk murdered his victims, but the glass he drank from was no longer filled with scotch. It was filled with blood. He was no longer sitting alone. Peter was there with him.

He kneeled at Tony's side. He wore no shirt or shoes, only jeans that were unbuttoned. His hands were cuffed behind his back, a red dog collar with gold hearts clasped around his throat, a blue Avengers insignia hanging from the silver lip at the base of neck and connected to a black leash. The other end of the leash was looped around Tony's wrist.

Peter's innocent doe eyes were wide with obvious desperation, fidgeting from his place on the floor, hips gyrating with arousal. The alpha smiled down at him. He pulled on the leash, bringing the Omega closer to his side. Peter scuffled forward excitedly.

"Open up," Tony ordered, a sickeningly sweet tone in his voice.

Peter complied, sticking his tongue out slightly. Tony brought the glass to Peter's lips.

Normally Violet walked around in a haze, but the addition of Peter and the realization of what Tony was going to make him changed everything. She ran towards them or tried to anyway. The threshold of the doorway leading into the room suddenly solidified and turned into a glass barrier. Her body smacked against it, but she didn't fall backwards. She stayed upright. Kicking and punching the barrier, screaming at the top of her lungs. Trying to save Peter from Tony's influence.

But it was too late.

The blood was gone in a manner of seconds, and Peter's once innocent, chocolate doe eyes were now pitch black, mirroring Tony's to a T. Tony grabbed Peter's hair, and at his touch he went slack, motionless.

"Be a good pet, and you can have more." Tony's voice was clear as day. Violet screamed at Peter, willing him to listen. He couldn't hear her, too lost in Tony's gaze. Peter opened his mouth again, the blood clinging to his teeth, his tongue. Tony's free thumb caressed his bottom lip before the hand in Peter's hair brought his down.

Down towards his groin.

Violet fell to her knees, crying and screaming for her friend.

"You can't save him," a voice spoke behind her.

Violet didn't bother looking, she knew the Avengers were behind her, that The Black Widow was speaking.

"He belongs to him now," a man's voice continued.

There was pressure on the back of her neck.

Violet still didn't turn.

"and you belong to us."

Violet's eyes went wide as she was suddenly pulled back. Then all she saw was red. Everything was hot, burning hot. She flailed about, screaming and screaming until there was pressure on her mouth, silencing them. There was more shouting. Somewhere far off. It grew louder and louder as Violet fought harder and harder.

"Wake up!" the voice shouted, "wake up!"

Then she did.

Violet opened her eyes to see Wanda and Pietro's extremely worried expressions. The moment she recognized them, she instantly relaxed. Closing her eyes and crying on the spot. Both Omegas pulled Violet to a sitting position, wrapping their strong arms around her and whispering words of kindness and assurance. Violet breathed in their calming scents, allowing their join cinnamon and apple scents to ease her distress.

After a few moments, Violet relayed the dream to them once she was able to talk normally. They gave her their full attention, listened attentively as she went into detail about the dream, and the cruel changes that made her so upset, and hugged her tighter. Then there was silence as the three basked in each other's presence.

Then Peter came rushing in acting like he was one of the passengers on the Titanic after it hit the iceberg.

"I'm supposed to be at school in half an hour!" He panted, hands digging into his hair like methed out maniac who hasn't gotten his fix yet.

After a beat of silence, everyone started moving.

Peter and Wanda rushed to the bathroom to wash their faces and brush heir teeth while Pietro and Violet started hunting for clothes. Karen, Foggy and Matt were gone, same with Sam. Apparently, they took him to the hospital to get checked out soon after Violet passed out. Jessica remained in the kitchen eating her breakfast, not concerned with the activity as she dealt with her hangover. Karen had taken Violet's clothes to be washed when she left, so Jessica pointed her to the dresser and allowed Violet to wear her clothes for the day.

The jeans fit Violet surprisingly well, though the bottoms had to be rolled up a bit since her legs weren't long enough. She pulled on a black undershirt and a grey Henley over it, then grabbed the leather jacket that Jessica got for her last year, but she rarely wore it because she it accentuated her body to much. Jessica's response of "that's the point doofus" was not helpful in the slightest. She had just tied the laces of her worn converse and pulled her hair back in a half ponytail (her hair wasn't long enough for a full one) when she switched places with Peter, sighing in relief that she still had a toothbrush here.

A few more minutes, and more frantic yells littering the place, and everyone was ready. Pietro, Wanda, and Peter were all in the same clothes as yesterday, but at least their teeth and face were reasonably clean. Once ready, and everyone had their stuff, they all ran out the door. The pace and atmosphere were so hectic, Peter completely forgot that he didn't have his phone. Thankfully, Violet didn't forget about Kilgrave's.

The four Omegas raced through the streets of Manhattan, boarded the subway without care, and sprinted towards the college. They were almost there when Peter had to stop, his skin taking on a sheen of green before he dropped his stuff, turned to the bushes and heaved.

Pietro went to his side, patting his back and helping it through it.

Meanwhile, Violet grabbed Peter's backpack.

"I'll race ahead. Peter? Who's your advisor again?"

He coughed, wheezing in his discomfort and embarrassment, "D- Dr. B- Banner."

"Okay, I'm going to find him and let him know that you're running late. I'll leave your stuff in his office. If I can't find him, I'll wait in the front office until you get there."

Peter nodded, same with Pietro and Wanda.

Violet took that as her cue and raced ahead.

She hasn't been back here since Trish, Jessica's former friend, tried to mate with her against her will. It didn't look any different. Then again, she's only been here the one time so she wouldn't know if there were changes or not. Except for the sign. She'd remember that sign for the rest of her life. The lights in the big letters weren't on as she ran past it.

She stopped in the open area where the school layout and room numbers were posted. She searched Dr. Banner, skimming the list of names until he found his. She raced away, heading into the what she guessed was the science building. The interior was nice and posh, the place where rich kids would definitely apply to and poor kids would most certainly obtain scholarships for. She slowed down so she could search the room numbers and check for Dr. Banner's name.

No luck on the first floor. The same with second floor. She climbed the third floor, knowing in her bones that this had to be the right floor. The first hallway was a bust, the second hallway was the same, but then she turned to search the third hallway and froze.

She briefly wished she hadn't woken up this morning.

There walking at the edge of the hall towards her and looking at the Starkpad in his hands was none other than the man who turned into the Hulk. The thing that killed her brother almost five years. Walking in sync with was and even worse sight that had Violet nearly turn around and run the other direction.

Tony Stark wearing a high-quality charcoal suit with a white pressed shirt and black wing tip shoes. He still had the same watch, the same glasses. Violet had no doubt they've been updated since then.

They looked up, eyes widening at the sight of her standing in the hallway, their expression shifting as they looked at her like she was some feral, wild animal. Maybe she was?

"Hello, can we help you with something?" The man asked, lowering the Starkpad in his grasp as he appraised.

It took all her strength of will to get her voice to work, the guttural and forced as she spoke, "are you Dr. Banner?"

"Yes," he confirmed, cocking his head slightly, "and how may I help you?"

God damnit, is Peter trying to surround himself with the freaking Mafia? What the Hell?!

Violet took a breath, adrenaline coursing through her veins and courage in her heart, and stepping towards the Doctor, sliding Peter's bag off her shoulders and holding it out for him to take. "It's Peter's bag. He's on his way but he's dealing with something right now."

At the mention of Peter, both Alpha's eyes went from suspicious and studious to concerned and urgent, particularly Tony's.

"Is he okay?" Tony asked, moving towards Violet with a surprising quickness.

Violet backed away just as quickly. "He's fine," she responded harshly, glaring at the ground, "just incredibly hungover. Probably dehydrated."

"Where is he now?" Tony inquired, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"On his way, some of our friends are with him. I ran ahead so that he didn't have to worry about his stuff on top of everything else."

"And who is with him?"

"Friends," Violet reiterated, refusing to give Tony an inch.

Tony smirked, slightly cock of the head. Violet gritted her teeth.

"You must be Vi?" Tony stated, already knowing the answer.

"And you're Tony Stark, Alpha extraordinaire."

"Just a regular Alpha, nothing extraordinary about it."

"How humble," Violet grated.

The Alpha and The Omega stared each other down, refusing to give an inch.

"Why don't I show you to my office. You can set Peter's bag down and then we can wait in there until he arrives." Dr. Banner suggested, looking rather uncomfortable as he watched Tony and Violet interact.

"Excellent idea," Tony approved, "I'd love to find out happened to our darling Peter last night."

"He's not your Peter," Violet shot back without thinking, "he's his own fucking person and you need to respect that."

Tony Stark was not a man who liked being talked back to. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that he killed a man or two over doing such a thing. Violet wouldn't back down though. Something inside her bristled to life inside her chest at seeing this man in person for the first since he orchestrated the murder of her brother. She was enraged just as much as she was terrified of the man. Still, she stood firm and stared back into his eyes.

Just like Billy did.

His eyes sparked with anger, but he seemed curious more than anything. Must take a lot to piss him off. The way his eyes studied her face made her uneasy.

"Life hasn't been very kind to you." He stated.

"Keep talking like that and life won't be very kind to you right now either." Violet retorted.

He smirked at that, sending shivers down her spine.

"I can see how protective you are of Peter. I respect that, I admire that. Not many people have that type of devotion-"

"I don't have time for false courtesies. You're only being nice to me because Peter told you I hate Alphas and you want to use me to help you get into his pants and mate with him." Violet spoke bluntly, slinging Peter's backpack over her shoulder as she turned away to leave, "and I'm not letting that fucking happen. He's too good of a person to get tainted and hurt by a person like you. I'll die before I let that happen."

"Wait- hold on, hold on a second," Tony pleaded, quickly stepping in front of Violet before she could run off. She stiffened at the closeness, pulling away before he could potentially grab her. He took off his glasses, folding the frames and sliding them on the inside pocket of his suit, then clasped his hands in front of him, settling Violet with a calm, inquisitive stare.

"You are right that Peter told me about your . . . distaste with Alphas. Based on your reaction to me, I'm going to assume that you didn't fill in our mutual friend about the extent of your experiences with others who share my gender." He paused, gauging her reaction. "I'm also going to assume that those experiences involve much loss on your part, and for that I'm deeply sorry."

"How can you be?" Violet growled, tightening her grip on Peter's bag.

"Everyone suffers loss at one point or another, Vi."

"I doubt losing stock is the same as losing a friend to an Alpha who raped her, beat her, and left for dead next to a dumpster. One that was too lazy to actually throw her body in." Violet growled, recalling one of countless losses from the Omega house just a few months ago. "Guess he wasted his endurance beating the shit out of her."

Tony's eyes went dark, "you think I'd do that to Peter?"

Violet shook her head, curling her mouth in disgust. "No, I think you'd throw him in the river."

Tony's jaw went tense. He stepped up close, leaning down slightly to look Violet in the eyes. "I'm not that Alpha."

She stepped in to, surprisingly unafraid, "and I'm not that Omega, but Peter is."

"I won't hurt him," Tony growled.

"I'll kill you if you do. Even if it kills me."

No one said anything, leaving Violet's words hanging in the air.

Then Tony straightened, a look in his eyes that Violet couldn't detect, and then he said in a solemn tone that Violet found hard to dispute, "I believe you."

Violet had no time to register that when Wanda's voice started calling through the hallway.

"Violet! Vi are you here?!"

"We're over here!" Tony answered, giving Violet one last strange look glancing at Dr. Banner, who remained silent throughout their conversation, and turned away.

Wanda appeared seconds later, looking rather relieved until she saw Tony and Dr. Banner.

"Where's Peter?" Violet asked, stepping around Tony and quickly moving past him.

On cue, Peter was helped around the corner by Pietro, who froze at the sight of Tony.

"Mr. Stark!" Peter exclaimed, straightening up as best as he could. "Dr. Banner!"

"Peter, are you alright?" Dr. Banner questioned, finally speaking up after Violet and Tony's heated talk moments prior. Wanda took Peter's bag from Violet and nonchalantly stepped in front of her, acting as a barrier between her and the alphas.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. We had a late night, and I slept in. I really didn't mean to-"

"Peter, it's completely fine. You have nothing to worry about. Everyone has off mornings, it's nothing to be ashamed of or worth apologizing for." Dr. Banner consoled him, stepping closer and taking a closer look at the young man, "but I do suggest you drink a lot of water. You're looking a bit dehydrated."

"You have no idea," Peter joked, smiling that shy smile of his, "thank you Dr. Banner."

"No need for that. We're just glad you're okay."

"Yes, we are," Tony cut in, stepping close and clapping his on Peter's shoulder, "and now that you're here, I would like to ask you and Vi," he gestured to Violet who did her best not to flip him off, "if you would both like to come over to the penthouse tomorrow night. My friends, of all second genders, and I are throwing a little feast tomorrow night in honor of Halloween and I would be delighted if you two, and any friends you choose to invite, would attend."

"Oh Mr. Stark that would be amazing!" Peter was saying when Wanda of all people suddenly interjected.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Stark, but we all have already made plans for Halloween tomorrow night."

"We did?" Peter inquired, guilt already flooding his eyes.

"Yes, we're having a feast of our own, to honor those we've lost and send blessings to those who remain in our lives." Wanda confirmed with a smile. "You, and a few of those friends, are more than welcome to join us as well."

Violet was both shocked and impressed with Wanda, unable to add anything as she watched her friend work her magic.

"And sweetie you agreed to it during midterm week, so I honestly didn't expect you to remember with how busy you were."

"Well I'm still sorry. My memory didn't used to be this bad."

"You just need a break, one that doesn't end like this morning." Violet assured him and he grinned.

"From what I remember, I did have a lot of fun last night."

"You certainly did," Pietro chuckled, same with the other Omegas.

Tony coughed, bringing the attention back to him. "I gladly take you up on your offer, Miss?"

"Wanda, Wanda Maximoff. This here is my brother, Pietro." He nodded to Tony. "And I see you've already met Violet."

"I most certainly did," Tony eyes met Violet's again.

It took everything to not glare at the bastard.

"Well, Peter. If you're up to it, I think we should get to work now." Dr. Banner clapped his hands.

From there Peter said his goodbyes, grabbing his backpack from Wanda hugging Vi particularly tight and whispering "thank you for giving him a chance" before slowly walking away with Dr. Banner. Tony walked slightly behind them, pulling out his glasses, turning back with the parting words, "I look forward to seeing you all again." His eyes focused on Violet, who glared back now that Peter wasn't watching her.

Wanda pulled Violet away before anything else could happen.

Just when they reached the elevator, Violet looked Wanda dead in the eyes and said, "thank you for not going to the dark side because I would be totally fucked if you did."

Across Town

Seconds later

Natasha was simultaneously pouring over more surveillance videos and finishing up paperwork while James finished setting up the supplies he would need to for tomorrow's mission, and their other mission when Tony called. FRIDAY answered at Natasha's request, and they were unprepared for what Tony had to say.

"I just ran into your Omega."

James dropped the knife he was sharpening, the blade hitting the floor next to his foot. Natasha's eyes went comically wide, dropping the pen she was flicking her paperwork with. They glanced at each other, then the TV where Tony's face suddenly appeared.

"You saw her?" James inquired, his hand finding Natasha's.

"Saw her, talked to her, I was even threatened by her." Tony rubbed his eyes for a moment, "you two are going to have a lot of work ahead of you."

"Wouldn't expect anything less," Natasha smiled, squeezing James hand.

"What is she like?" James asked, desperate to know more about her.

"Damaged, the kid's clearly been through a lot. She's like a wild, untamed animal protected by rabbits and kittens after being beaten and neglected by countless others." Tony sighed, a smile coming onto his face, "you should've seen the way she pounced on me. How protective she was over my chosen. Now I know how he's stayed so pure, so good in this cruel world. That stray piece of gold pushed out of the trash heap because another piece of gold covered in muck was there for him. She made sure he was safe." Tony started laughing, "she stood tall, face to face with me, and said she would kill me if I ever hurt him."

Natasha and James grinned at the screen, at each other.

"Reminds me of the way you and Steve watched over me in the hospital," James recalled, standing up and pulling Natasha with him.

She went happily, wrapping her arms around his waist, "no one was going to touch you under our watch."

"No one ever will," their noses touched, foregoing the kiss in favor of looking at the TV screen. "You have video of this little interaction?"

"Video and audio," Tony smirked, "but first I need to check on your side and make sure everything is ready."

"Got my supplies packed and ready to go. The building will be up in seconds," James responded.

"The party, party goers, music, food and drinks, Scott and his crew, and Sharon with the trainees are all set and ready."

"Good, how about your personal mission?"

"Our temporary home is ready and waiting for us and our Omega." Natasha grinned.

"Any items or supplies we might need to help her adjust to her new life will arrive tomorrow morning." James stated.

"Do you have anyone to help set it up?"

"Not yet, I don't want the wrong person looking at the supplies, or any gossip that would embarrass our Omega should that occur."

"Understood, how about I loan you Pepper, and she can help organize everything?"

"Much appreciated," James nodded.

"Now play us the damn video," Natasha ordered, waiting with bated breath.

"Hold on, there's one more thing. A slight change of plan on my part. Instead of bringing our chosens to the tower, they will be at a certain Omega house, the owner Wanda Maximoff for a Halloween feast. Pepper, Happy, Steve, Phil and I will be attending. Both should be there and will be monitored until you both and Hawkeye can attend. Then, the plan will proceed as normal."

"Has the place been monitored yet?"

"No, Happy and a few of his men are on their way as we speak."

"Have them report back to us what they find. Now show us our Omega." Natasha ordered. James kissed her cheek.

With a chuckle, Tony nodded, then FRIDAY played them the surveillance video.

So many emotions pierced their hearts at the sight of her. How defensive she was, how blatantly uncomfortable she appeared, yet she stood her ground, went toe to toe with the head of the Avengers Mafia like it just another day. She inspired them, weakened them, killed them slowly with her fighting spirit.

They loved her.

And tomorrow, they would have her.

At last