Alternate Universe – What if?
June 15th, 2012
Arun has finally recovered from his battle injuries.
Slowly.
The doctors called it a miracle he’d survived the falling debris, but he had – though moving into the tower temporarily during his recovery wasn’t exactly how he’d planned to spend the summer.
The revelation came quietly, as life-shattering moments sometimes do.
He’s heading to Tony’s lab to discuss returning to work when he hears voices from the common room – his wife and best friend, speaking in low, worried Telugu.
“She’s not sleeping, Aniruddh,” Sandhya says. “The battle, almost losing her father… it’s too much.”
“I’m right here,” Tony’s voice is rough. “I know I can’t replace him, but she’s my daughter too. I should be able to help her through this.”
Arun freezes in the hallway, his healing ribs suddenly aflame with a different kind of pain.
“Fifteen years,” Tony continues softly. “Fifteen years of watching another man raise my child. And now that she knows the truth, now that she needs me most…”
“We did what we had to do,” Sandhya replies, “To protect her. To protect Arun.”
“Did we? Or did we protect ourselves?”
Arun doesn’t remember moving, but suddenly, he’s in the doorway. Sandhya and Tony jump apart, their faces drained of color.
“Protect me?” his voice is deadly quiet. “Is that what you call this?
“Arun–” Sandhya starts.
“How long?” he cuts her off, his hands shaking. “When did you–” He stopped, calculating. “When I was in India. Before Sara was born.”
The silence is confirmation enough.
Sara is studying in her temporary room when she hears her father’s voice rise, sharp with pain she’d never heard before.
“FIFTEEN YEARS OF LIES!”
Her phone buzzes immediately.
Harsha [3:15 PM]: What’s happening? Mom’s not answering.
Sesha [3:16 PM]: Sara? Are you okay?
Sara [3:17 PM]: I don’t know
But she did know. The secret was out.
“Was anything real?” Arun’s voice breaks. “Our marriage? Our family? The fact that I almost DIED protecting a city my supposed best friend’s daughter lives in? Was any of it real?”
“All of it was real,” Sandhya pleads. “One mistake doesn’t erase twenty years of love–”
“One mistake?” Arun laughs bitterly. “You slept with my best friend. Had his child. Let me raise her thinking she was mine. That’s not one mistake, Sandhya. That’s fifteen years of choices.”
Sara’s phone keeps buzzing:
Harsha [3:20 PM]: We’re coming over from our hotel
Sesha [3:21 PM]: Don’t move, Sara
Sara [3:22 PM]: No
“How could you?” Arun’s voice is raw. “Both of you? I trusted you. With everything. I spent the last month recovering in this tower, accepting help from the man who–” he cuts himself off, pressing a hand to his healing ribs.
“Arun, you need to sit down,” Tony steps forward, concerned. “Your injuries–”
“Don’t,” Arun hisses. “Don’t pretend to care now. You watched me raise your daughter. Stood beside me at every birthday, every celebration, knowing…”
“You were her father in every way that mattered,” Tony says quietly.
“Don’t you dare act noble now. Not after fifteen years of lies.”
Sara’s phone couldn’t stop:
Harsha [3:30 PM]: What’s happening??
Sesha [3:31 PM]: Someone tell us something!
Aurelio [3:32 PM]: I’m driving the twins over
Sara [3:33 PM]: Please don’t. Everything’s falling apart.
She can hear footsteps in the hallway and then her door opening. Sandhya stands there, tears streaming down her face.
“Bangaaram–”
“Don’t talk to her,” Arun appears behind her, leaning heavily against the wall. “Don’t you dare–”
“She’s my daughter!”
“Is she? Is she anyone’s? Or just another lie you both told me?”
Sara stands, hands clenched at her sides. “I’m right here,” her voice trembles but holds. “I’m not a lie. I’m your daughter – all of yours. The man who created me,” she looks at Tony, “the man who raised me,” to Arun, “and the woman who loved me enough to try and protect me from this exact moment.”
“Protect me?” Arun slides down the wall, his injuries finally catching up with him. “Or protect themselves?”
“Both,” Sandhya whispers, moving to help him. “Always both.”
He flinches away from her touch.
The elevator dings – the twins arrive despite Sara’s pleas. They freeze at the scene before them: their father on the floor, their mother crying, Tony Stark standing helplessly in the doorway, Sara trying so hard to hold herself together.
“What’s going on?” Harsha demands.
“Ask them,” Arun’s voice is bitter. “Ask them about Sara. About Tony. About everything.”
Understanding dawns on the twins’ faces as they look between their parents and Tony.
“Oh my god,” Sesha whispers.
“All this time?” Harsha’s voice cracks.
“I need to leave,” Arun struggles to stand. “I can’t… I can’t be here.”
“Nanna, you’re not healed–” Sara reaches for him, but he steps back.
“Don’t,” he says quietly. “Don’t call me that. Not now.”
“Let me at least help you to–” Tony starts.
“Haven’t you helped enough?” Arun’s laugh is hollow. “Fifteen years of help. Of lies. Of watching me love your child while you just… stood there.”
He pushes past them all, heading for the elevator despite his obvious pain.
“Don’t follow me,” he says to everyone. “Any of you.”
And then the doors close.
Silence takes over everything, broken only by Sara’s quiet sobs. The twins stand frozen, processing everything, Sandhya collaposed onto Sara’s bed, while Tony looks more lost than anyone had ever seen him.
Sara’s phone lights up one last time:
Harsha [4:15 PM]: What do we do now
Sesha [4:16 PM]: Stay together. That’s all we can do.
Sara [4:16 PM]: I broke everything
Tony [4:17 PM]: No, firecracker. We did that fifteen years ago.
The New York sky is darkening outside the tower windows, but the real darkness is just beginning inside. In one moment, one overheard conversation, everything changed.
The question is, can everything be put right again when your entire family survives an alien invasion only to be torn apart by truth?